


Corrin, of the Wolfskin

by Hadronix



Series: The Travels and AU Shenanigans of Lupus [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Being raised by Wolfskin, Corrin also collects 'Treasure', Corrin knows she's a human, Corrin still doesn't wear shoes, F/F, F/M, I can't even, Kaden and Selkie are also siblings, Keaton and Velouria are siblings, The things that go on in this fic...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2019-10-21 04:45:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 77
Words: 278,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17636234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hadronix/pseuds/Hadronix
Summary: King Garon, on his return from the supposed 'peace' meeting with King Sumeragi, has the baby Corrin in tow. However, he is unable to return to Nohr safely, as his caravan ends up being attacked by a pack of Wolfskin, taking nearly everything, including the baby Corrin. Corrin, raised by the Wolfskin, does all that she can to contribute to helping her family, the pack.This isn't Corrin siding with Nohr, Hoshido, or even forging a path to unite both kingdoms. This is Corrin, of the Wolfskin.





	1. A Song of Beast and Human

**Author's Note:**

> Something new, something bestial, something furry, something different...
> 
> For those who are reading through 'Thirst for Blood', the setup for the Beast-races are similar. For those of you who haven't, don't worry. I'll go over the changes as the chapters go on.
> 
> Another big thing of note: Keaton and Velouria are siblings. A few other lore changes as well, but those will pop up in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty.

King Garon openly smiled to himself as he and his entourage made their way back from the… ‘peace’ meeting with King Sumeragi. The King of Nohr chuckled as he could re imagine the Swordmaster being peppered with arrows, allowing him to take the newborn child for his own. With the girl his, he could begin his plan to raise her… ultimately ending in bringing down the barrier that Queen Mikoto holds up. And after that, he’ll be able to bring the full might of Nohr down upon Hoshido.

Now, these series of events would have happened, but there were a few unaccounted changes. One is that the trail they were going to take was blocked off by a huge boulder, causing them to take an alternate route. The second is that this route is a place inhabited by the Beastshifters of Nohr, Wolfskin. To Garon, though, they are just that, beasts. He simply had a soldier or two wield a Beast Killer and call it at that. Surely none of them would be foolish enough to attack. All beasts fear the Beast Killer, after all.

But the main problem with this is, King Garon never actually encountered the Wolfskin. So, how would he know that they would pounce from the mountainous hills? That they employ a hit-and-run tactic? So, that is exactly what happened. The Beastshifters were coordinated, and the first set of death cries were of the soldiers wielding the Beast Killers.

The baby started crying.

Angered, King Garon took up his own axe to fend off the shifters. In short, his men were being slaughtered. Despite the lumbering size of the Wolfskin, they proved extremely fast. One by one did his men fall.

“You were a fool to travel this route, human.” Another Wolfskin, this one of red and black fur, sporting a far more dangerous aura than the rest.

Gripping his axe, Garon readied himself, “I will cut you down, beast.”

“Bravado will only grant you death.” The leader charged, deftly dodging Garon’s first strike, while the Beastshifter landed a swipe of his own. Another Wolfskin slammed into the King from behind.

The baby’s wails became louder.

Currently preoccupied by three Beastshifters, Garon could do nothing else as yet another Wolfskin took his hard-won prize from him. In a fit of rage, Garon lashed out at the leader, scoring his one, and only, hit. It bit deep, and he howled out in pain…

Then fled, as did the rest. “Damn it!” The King cleaved his axe into the ground, “I will hunt you down!” He declares.

Unfortunately for him, Garon won’t see that child again for an extremely long time, not until she has already matured, effectively killing off the King’s plan.

So, this is the tale that will be shared. Corrin, not of Hoshido, not of Nohr, nor taking a path to unite both. She is Corrin, of the Wolfskin.

* * *

In the mountainous hills of Nohr rested the Beastrace of Wolfskin. Packs of them were located across the region, all driven there due to the bane of any beast, Poachers, namely those who had the gold to afford Beastkillers. The Beastshifters were outcasts of human society, further divided into Wolfskin and Kitsune… then even further divided into packs and hamlets, Wolfskin and Kitsune respectively.

However, unlike a Kitsune hamlet’s bountiful grass fields, the mountains provided no similar reprieve. As such, the Wolfskin are forced to resort to hunting… or attacking caravans. The alpha of one particular pack is skilled in this regard. His pack has an unbeatable record of successful caravan raids, and has earned one of the most dangerous areas to have a pack. Right next to one of the main roads leading into Nohr.

This alpha has even manage to raid none other than the King of Nohr’s caravan, too. And while there were fine food and other treasures to be had, one in particular stood out. This one was a baby girl, whose crying echoed throughout the caravan raid. This baby was taken back with the Wolfskin, and the alpha has raised her alongside his twins: Keaton and Velouria. Unlike the average human, the baby girl sported pointed ears, red pupils, and even sharper teeth…

Almost as if she were part-Beastshifter. Maybe she even was, though the alpha doubted it. Why would a Wolfskin mate with a human? The irony isn’t lost on him, though, as raising a human child might end up with her being claimed as another’s mate. Or maybe she won’t. Corrin, the once baby girl, gives the Wolfskin an unique opportunity. She’s human, she can freely travel to towns and cities without fear of being assaulted. The only problem with this idea is simple: The Wolfskin have no idea on what constitutes ‘Human’ behavior.

And perhaps the alpha would have scrapped the idea altogether, but against ‘common knowledge’, both the Wolfskin and Kitsune are far more intelligent than what most humans would assume. They are not ‘mere beasts’.

“Brother!” Corrin exclaims as she chases down Keaton. Thankfully, however, there seems to be a set of instinctual rules that are simply ingrained in humans, effectively cutting down the amount of work that needs to be done. There were still things to work on, of course. One would be to get her an actual set of clothes that fit. Her clothes are rather ragged, mostly because she loves to get down and dirty…

Even without fur, she still mimics some of the habits that Wolfskin do… and some habits she started on her own. “Hey…” Keaton sighed as his sister tackled him to the ground, giggling as she hugged him, “Hey, cut it out… not in the open.”

“You know like it when I hug you!” She rubs up against him, while taking a deep breath of his scent.

“I most certainly do not!” He tries to come out as convincing.

“Then why is your tail wagging?” Corrin never really questioned why she is so different… it’s almost as if she doesn’t care what she is.

“...It’s cold.” Keaton pitifully lies.

“Uh-huh.” Corrin breaks the embrace, then helps the Wolfskin up. “Guess what?” She didn’t wait for him to reply, “I’ve got something for youuu!”

“Treasure?” His ears suddenly perk up.

“Treasure.” From her pants pocket, she pulls out a single ball of assorted… goods. Some hair here, some bits of bone of there...

“Awesome!” Relative to the rest of the pack, Velouria, Keaton, and Corrin, have a large obsession with ‘Treasure’.

“I’m happy you like it, brother.” She smiles.

Which in turn causes him to smile, “Of course.” His smiles shows off his fangs, hers shows off her sharper than average teeth.

How many years has it been since they stolen her from the King? Fourteen? Sixteen? Would it be too out of place if she were to visit a town now? Or would she be considered too young? “And uh, I stumbled on this…” Keaton hesitantly gives her a shred of fur from a small beast, it still has specks of blood on it. “I was going to keep this, but since you got me something…”

...The alpha honestly worries more of how many Wolfskin habits she may end up doing in a town. He can only imagine the reactions she would get if she ended up howling at the moon. Or invaded someone’s personal space to sniff them. Then, of course, comes up the issue of how little human habits she does have.

“Aw, thank you!” Corrin eagerly grabs the fur from Keaton, then proceeds to hold it close, both to catch its scent and to rub it.

“...It wasn’t like I was actually looking to get you anything.” Keaton mutters as he looks away.

“Hey…” And now approaches Velouria, a gentle smile on her face. “You’re back, sister.” Unlike Keaton, Velouria has actually picked up on some of the human habits Corrin exhibits.

“Hello, Vella.” And Corrin is literally the only one who refers to her as ‘Vella’. “I was gone for longer than I thought…” Getting sidetracked, no doubt. “I would have brought more treasure, but there were a larger number of traps than normal.”

“I can wait. The pack’s safety takes a high priority.”

“I know, but still…” Corrin kicks some dirt around with her feet. On that, she absolutely refuses to wear shoes… among other things. “...stupid poachers.”

“Sister?” Vella asks as Corrin starts to pout, but whether her tears are real or forced is up in the air. Corrin has become almost disturbingly skilled at faking emotions.

“Why can’t they just shove those Beast Killers up their rear ends and leave my family alone?! Or any of the families, for that matter!?” It’s rare when she actually says ‘packs’.

“Humans are greed-driven, that’s why.” Keaton speaks up, “They just want us for our furs.” Despite his anger, a somber mood blankets the immediate area. Just because this pack might be the strongest, doesn’t mean there were a lack of deaths. And every time a patrol or raid comes back with one less Wolfskin, it’s Corrin that takes it the hardest, regardless of how long that Wolfskin has been here. Young, old, ones she really likes, ones she finds irritating, it truly doesn’t matter to her. All Wolfskin are family to her…

Even when she knows she isn’t one, herself.

Which is why she, at one point, proclaimed she wanted to learn how to Shift. Unfortunately, that’s not something that can be artificially taught… she’s isn’t Wolfskin, so she can’t use a Beaststone. So then she asked if she could have a weapon from the next time a convoy passes by, which has lead to her current sword. It isn’t much, and she doesn’t have someone proper to train her, but she tries. She’s formed some style on her own, attempting to mimic how the Wolfskin fight.

She’s more keen on noticing traps, however. So she ends up protecting her family the most by spotting and disarming traps. It’s enough to satisfy her, knowing that her contributions beneficially impact the rest. And when she’s happy, it seems as if the rest of her family is happy. Corrin simply has that effect on the Wolfskin… maybe even the humans, as well.

“Hey, Vella, Keaty…”

“Yes, sister?” Velouria asks.

“I told you not to call me that.” Keaton gripes.

“I looove you.” She wraps them both in a hug, which Velouria eagerly returns, but Keaton simply stands there… with his tail wagging. “C’mon Keaty, you know you want to hug us!” Keaton grumbles about being called ‘Keaty’, before giving in to the two women’s embraces and returning the hug. In that moment, Corrin could really care less about her ‘real’ family. She’s satisfied simply being a part of her Wolfskin ‘pack’.

The three siblings soon part, though. Keaton will be joining the alpha in part of the hunt, Velouria and a few others are going to scout, and Corrin will be a part of Velouria’s group, making sure that none of them end up triggering any traps. With her Bronze Sword at the ready, Corrin eagerly joins her sister’s group. “Just scouting?” Corrin asks.

“Human movement has been going up recently.” Suddenly, Velouria isn’t the Treasure-collecting, hug-giving sister. She is Velouria the Wolfskin, not Velouria the sister. “Which is why there were more traps than normal.”

“Are we going to end up fighting?” Corrin hasn’t had much opportunity for fighting… though the others make it seem like an enjoyment. She’s caught somewhere between just wanting the fights to stop, and being a part of the hunts. Some days she wants to join the alpha’s side and strike something down, and others she is truly content just disarming traps…

“ **We** might.” Velouria stresses the ‘we’, as in not the human woman she calls a sister.

“Vella…” Corrin whines.

“The alpha forbids it.” She’s quick to remind her.

“Then why was I gifted a sword?” She counters. “I want to help.”

Velouria takes a breath, “We need to go.” She flashes Corrin a sorrowful look. She too, wants Corrin by her side in a fight, but the alpha’s orders are definite, not even his mate nor children can do anything about it. As such, her group moves on, with Corrin on a vigilant lookout for any traps she may have missed on her morning route… not that that is likely, but it never hurts to double-check. Corrin is undoubtedly the best when it comes to both finding and removing traps.

A howl echoes out across from Velouria’s location… humans. It isn’t an urgent howl, it’s more of a notification that the alpha’s pack is about to attack. Corrin finds herself wanting to join in, but she has a task… and that involves sticking with her sister. She’s still never actually seen any other humans. At times, she wonders what they look like. The alpha says she’s the only one he ever saw with her pointed ears and sharp teeth. Part of her thinks that’s the only reason she was brought in, that she looked part of a Beastshifter.

“Hold.” Velouria calls out, causing her small group to freeze on the spot, she then growls, and quickly assumes her Beast form, the others follow suit while Corrin readies her sword. Moments later, a blur comes in and strikes her sister, the blur is gone the next second.

One of the Wolfskin manages to anticipate an attack, slamming one of these blurs right in the gut. It’s a man, garbed in leather, small blades in his hands. Velouria slams the head of another one of these leather-garbed men. Corrin cries out as a different blur strikes her, as she simply couldn’t keep the speed of her Wolfskin family. She does, though, block the next strike. The man seems surprised, and she uses that opportunity to hit him, though the blow comes out weak and inexperienced. It grazes him at most.

Slightly discouraged, she quickly tries to follow up, but by now, the man has already recomposed himself and he moves out of her reach. Corrin wasn’t able to react fast enough for the next strike, “S-Sister!” She cries out, clearly unable to hold her own… this man is just too fast! Why couldn’t a slower one target her?! Velouria growls and is by her side in almost a second, quickly crushing the man’s skull with incredible ease. Sorrow lines Corrin’s eyes, a silent ‘I’m sorry for bringing you down’, whilst Velouria simply nods.

...No wonder the alpha had Corrin stand back for combat, she simply can’t contribute.

Which is why, that night, Corrin took a huge step forward. After the last meal, she approached the alpha, her ‘father’ on her own. Not even Keaton nor Velouria with her this time. “Father.” She normally addresses him as the alpha, ‘father’ is reserved for the most serious of situations. He doesn’t like being referred to as such.

“Corrin.” Up close, Corrin can spot that one scar he earned from the night his pack took Corrin here. At the time, it was a terribly deep gash, she’s told it’s from the axe from the King of Nohr himself.

“I want to train in the arts of swordsmanship.” She declares.

He narrows his eyes, “You won’t be able to visit freely.” More accurately, he won’t let her visit freely, he simply can’t afford to risk having their pack’s location exposed because she simply gets ‘homesick’.

“I’m aware.” She replies in kind, “But, after today… when I couldn’t even fight against one human.” She mentally kicks herself, “I want to be useful in more than just traps, I want to be actually be able to defend myself. It… it hurt to see Vella disappointed in me. I need to get better, for the pack… my family.” All the while, she avoided eye contact, more out of shame of what she was unable to do. “I need to be able…”

“Pup.” One word silences her. “You’ll be on your own. You don’t know all of the human customs.” Does he… not want her to leave?

“I’ll learn.” She pushes, “I learned how to spot and disarms the traps myself, didn’t I? I managed to teach myself how to use a sword. I can learn how to be a human.”

For a moment, he closes his eyes, though she somehow felt his gaze was still boring into her. “Very well. If you wish to pursue the blade, then go ahead. But, don’t return until you have all the experience you can get.”

Corrin beamed, “Thank you!” On reaction, she pulls him into a hug… and for once, and maybe the only time, he returns it.

“You came from Hoshido.” He finally speaks, “The King carelessly spoke of how he stole you from a meeting with a King.”

“I’m not leaving you all.” She quickly declares, “I’ll return.” The two break the hug, “I refuse to lose you all.”

“I’m just informing you.” He shrugs it off. “Just… be safe. More so for Velouria and Keaton than anyone else.”

She nods almost immediately afterwards, “I will!”

“Hmph.” He flashes a smile, “Then sleep. You’ll depart tomorrow. I’ll give what gold you can reasonably carry.”

“Good night, alpha!” She has a spring in her step as she returns to the den that she shares with Keaty and Vella.


	2. A Lone Wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty.
> 
> Mixing in some traits from Yasei and 'TfB''s version of the Shifters, but keeping some out... maybe. At least for now. Will probably add more when she goes 'Dragon up!'
> 
> ... Wonder how many will get that cartoon reference?

Despite the bravado Corrin held on show for the alpha, she couldn’t deny that her nerves were shot through the roof. She’s never ventured more than a mile past the scouting area, and her only interactions with humans was that single attack. But… she told him she could do this, and she will! She refuses to be a burden in another fight. What if she’s the sole one that turns the tide? ...What if her keen ability in locating and disarming traps is the sole reason that some fall while she’s gone?

She squeaks as Vella pulls her into a hug, undoubtedly sensing the stress and anxiety coming off of her. “We believe in you, sister.” She reassures her.

“I’m scared.” Corrin admits. “What if…”

“You’ll learn.” Vella interrupts her, “Just… at least remember some of the basic things you can’t do.”

“I’ll miss your scents.” Corrin’s mouth jerks upward as she takes a deep breath of Velouria.

She giggles, “We’ll miss you, too.” Vella too, takes a deep breath of Corrin’s scent. “See if you can bring back anything nice, too.”

“Humans waste a lot, there’s bound to be a trove worth of things.” Keaton rounds the corner into their cave.

“I do not waste things!” Corrin exclaims.

“Do you consider yourself human?”

“...” Corrin thinks it over, “I don’t want to.”

“As long as you return, sister.” Vella states as she takes another deep breath, growling with content from Corrin’s scent.

“You always sniffed us the most.” Corrin giggles. “Oh, Keaty…”

“Stop calling me that.” He aggressively states… as his tail wags.

“Come heeere.” She reaches out with her other arm, and Vella does the same. Groaning about ‘sisters’, Keaton walks over and submits himself to the embrace, immediately being the receiving end of being sniffed. “Your turn!” Corrin easily presents her body, letting him pick out the spot.

“That is exactly the type of position that I won’t get in close for your scent.” Keaton puts his foot down, despite how furiously his tail is wagging.

“Sister… that is more for getting a mate.” Vella flatly states. “Close your legs some more, cut off access to your neck.”

All the while, Corrin develops a flush, “Whoops. And uh, how about now?”

“You are unusually eager for a Wolfskin to rub their nose up on you…”

“Only for you two!” Corrin excitedly exclaims. “C’mon, Keaty! Sniff me!” Keaton grumbles about both that ‘atrocious’ nickname and an ‘overeager’ sister, but he does just that, lest she starts rubbing her body against his. “Mmm…”

“Please refrain from moaning.” Vella interrupts. “You might want to find someone to…”

“I get it!” Corrin squeaks. “Am I not allowed to miss my wonderful brother and sister?”

Vella spares a look at Keaty, and Keaty spares a look at Vella, “We’ll miss you, too.” They state at the same time. With that, Corrin finally exits their cave, where the alpha stands tall, a few items by his side.

“Alpha.” Corrin simply states.

“A bag of gold.” He starts off, completely skipping any introductions, “A few pieces of fresh meat, and some… better clothes.” That last part comes in as he looks her over. Her vest has definitely seen better days, as torn and shredded as it is, mostly from stray tree branches. “Make sure you change clothes before you actually enter a human settlement.” Like with Vella, Corrin lacks a bra… unlike Vella, Corrin’s vest doesn’t do anything to really cover her breasts. The simple fact is, since Corrin can’t shapeshift, she doesn’t have a means to protect her clothes from the trees and debris that hits her body. And that’s not to say anything about her ‘pants’... which would qualify more as shorts.

“Anything else?” The adrenaline comes back… she’s finally leaving? She’s going to see humans?

“...Be safe.” His voice cracks.

“I love you, too.” He simply growls and nods, unwilling to actually say it. With the gold pouch secured… mostly anyway, on her pitiful excuse for pants, and the rest of the clothes in a sack tied around her back, as well as her sword by her side, Corrin makes her way out of the Wolfskin den… away from home.

Alone.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
It wasn’t until nightfall that Corrin stopped. Her life in the mountains have gave her an incredibly high amount of stamina, alongside the amount of stuff she did on a daily basis. Every Wolfskin needed to contribute towards the pack, and being human was no exception. If she were compare herself to a woman raised in a city, Corrin would be quite muscular compared to the other. She wasn’t ‘built’, per say, but more akin to lean and strong. She struck a balance between speed and strength, if one were to feel her body, the muscles would definitely be there, but they wouldn’t really stick out.

However, if one were to truly feel her body… she’d probably just lie on the ground and let you rub her as much as you desired.

Also, due to life among Wolfskin, she has wonderful night-time vision, no need of a campfire for her… at least not for eyesight, if it were to ever get cold, she’d need another source of heat, thanks to her lack of fur. Fur… she absentmindedly rubs the latest treasure Keaty gave her, the scrap of fur with blood specks on it. It certainly hurts being away from the only ones she called family, but she’s willing to see this through.

It also took until now how much time she spent with them. It really felt lonely out here. Well, there were familiar scents to be had, but it wasn't the same…

Corrin shoots up, what is she thinking?! She hasn't even been away for a whole day and she's already feeling homesick! She left so she could learn how to fight… to be able to defend her family, the pack.

A small sound echoes near her… one of her traps? Out here? She placed a few here and there, but she doubted they were good enough. Sure, she might be able to safely dismantle the ones near the scouting area, but it turns out making them is a lot harder.

So catching something is a huge confidence boost! Making sure to keep her movement quiet, she creeps along the grass, sword at the ready… and… and…

“Hellooooo…” this was most certainly not an animal, “Is this yours?” This light-blue haired woman lazily attempts to grab her ankle whilst suspended upside down. “I never saw it coming.”

… given her state of mind, Corrin assumed even marking it with bright colors would have still worked on her. “Uh, yeah… let me get you down.”

The woman hummed, “No need… Lady Hinoka will find me.”

“A Lady Hinoka?” Corrin repeats. “Wait, no! It'll hurt you if you hang…”

“No really, it's fine. This is normal.” The woman casually interrupts, “It might take her several days, but she'll find me.” A slight breeze pushes the dangling woman… sending her slowly spinning, “Wheee…” For a moment, Corrin legitimately considers leaving that woman hanging there. “Heeey, where are your clothes?” She asks with zero shame. “...You’ve got a nice body. How often do you train?”

Corrin sighs, “You’re right, A Lady Hinoka will find you.” This definitely wasn’t how Corrin expected her first conversation with a human to go, and so, Corrin goes to return to her camp…

Before a thud sounded out, “Oooops.” Somehow, that fall didn’t injure her at all. “Yaaaay, I’m freee.”

“Perhaps you can leave, now?” The constant and long drawling voice is getting on Corrin’s nerves.

“My name is Setsuna.” She greets as she walks over, completely ignoring Corrin’s question. “I am one of Lady Hinoka’s retainers.”

“Then you best return to your A Lady Hinoka.” ...What’s a retainer, anyway?

“What’s your name?”

“...Corrin.”

“That’s a nice name.” A beat passes, “Do you need any food? I’m a… decent shot when it comes to my…” She pauses, “Where did my arrows go?” With that, the absent minded ‘Archer’ walks away, granting Corrin the sweet reprieve of, “Whooops.” Corrin hears her slowly gasp as another trap goes off. “Don’t worry, this happens a lot. I’ll just wait for Lady Hinoka.”

...How dense is she?  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
In a move that Corrin had to convince herself that it was for the best, she left the Archer in the snare trap that she had made earlier. It wasn’t as if she hated the woman, but her voice was just getting on her nerves…

She wonders how Keaty or Vella would have reacted. Unlike the Wolfskin, she doesn’t have an internally built hatred against humans. She **is** human, after all. But, it’s not as if Keaty was wrong, the humans just want Wolfskin for their fur and Beaststones, regarding them as nothing more than beasts.

It makes her sick.

And that is where the line of what she’s willing to do for her family, the pack, forms. On one hand, she wants to simply have peace, is it so absurd for everyone to live in harmony? On the other hand, well it’s a lot simpler: Life for life, if the humans can so casually take her family’s lives, then the Wolfskin and her should return the favor.

Peace or revenge?

And it’s not just the Wolfskin, either. The Kitsunes suffer the same, as poachers come for their fur and Beaststones, as well. So, if both Beast races are dealing with the same problem, why can’t they come together?

Revenge usually comes out as the more desirable option.

But no, the ideals between Wolfskin and Kitsune are too much, hence why they live nowhere close to each other. One will find Wolfskin in Nohr, and Kitsune in Hoshido.

Bloodshed isn’t the only way, this can end peacefully.

Corrin was so preoccupied with her thoughts, that she almost missed noticing the town in the distance… the first town. And she was about to walk in there before changing into her ‘good’ clothes. Normally, she wouldn’t bother, but this is something the alpha suggested, and the alpha knows best. Though, it didn’t change the fact that she didn’t want to, well, change her clothes.

Yes, her favorite set of clothes are tattered and torn, dirt covers portions, but that’s how she likes it. She honestly wonders why she even bothers with clothing… as with the others. Well, there is the fact that she actually does kinda needs clothes.

Sometimes it just gets so cold at night. Those would be the nights she scoots over from her little spot over to Keaty, burying herself in his fur. And on those same nights, she would wake up sandwiched between Vella and Keaty. She could never express how much thanks she had for them. There she was, the only human in there, but Keaty and Vella never cared. They were family, brother and sister.

...And now Corrin is out here, but they’re back home. With tears forming, Corrin pulls her head back and lets out a howl, a way of venting her sorrows. The alpha, alongside the other Wolfskin, were quite surprised to find that Corrin could, in fact, mimic howling. Some of them considered that she might be half-Wolfskin, some said half-Kitsune, most didn’t care. All that mattered was that Corrin contributed to the survival of the pack, and that’s enough.

All that mattered to Corrin was that she had a home.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The sun was just rising when Corrin decided to finally put on the ‘good’ clothes. In short, they were uncomfortable. She lacked a bra and undergarments, so her shirt and shorts kept rubbing up on her, which felt both irritating… and strangely pleasing. With her black, torn tunic in the bag, alongside her similar style of ‘pants’, which by now has lost so much fabric that it’s now shorter than the shorts she is currently wearing. It’s suffocating, she concludes. She already heavily misses the freedom of her clothes. But, still…

Nothing can beat the feeling of running completely free of clothing. Not even the chill could stop her from doing as such, even when she did catch a cold. Besides, having a cold meant that Keaty and Vella would snuggle up to her more, and she loved it when those two were so close. Once more, the pain of being away from them comes back. Couldn’t Vella have come? No, she shakes her head, that’s a foolish thought.

Even if Vella accepts a number of human things Corrin does, she knows that the Wolfskin despises other humans. Keaty and Vella lost their mother from a group of poachers, and no amount of Corrin-love will ever fix their aggression.

Revenge would bring those two happiness more than peace. She wonders how much blood needs to be shed to get their praises?

A sudden anxiety hits her as she starts to get closer to the town. Even though her only experience with a human were those leather-clad men who attacked Vella’s group, she’s only heard negative things about them from the pack.

Greedy, violent, murderous, sadistic. All of these and more were used to describe humans. But, that strange lady, Setsuna, she was none of those things. She seemed as clueless about her surroundings as Corrin did when it came to human social standards. She also spoke highly of A Lady Hinoka. Was she a ruler of sorts?

...No, there’s only supposed to be a ‘King’. Just like there is only an ‘Alpha’.

Before she realized it, Corrin had already reached the town’s entrance. A variety of scents and sights greeted her. So many things lined the roads, people and products alike…

But not a single sign of any treasure she could bring back to Keaty or Vella.

Hesitantly, Corrin walked the path the humans walked, unsure of where exactly to go, unsure of how to properly start a conversation, and who to even talk to. It was already starting to overwhelm her. Before, if she had a question, she’d ask the alpha. If she wanted guidance, she’d ask the alpha. But here? There’s too much confusion. Humans ran from here to there, peppering each other with questions and statements.

The Wolfskin could never get anything done if they lived like this! It took a trip to a human town to realize just how **different** they are from her family, the pack. She could barely walk a step without nearly bumping into someone, or hearing some person shout about their ‘goods’ or ‘wares’.

…

She wanted to leave. Or, at the very least, she wants Keaty or Vella here. This is all too much for her. “Uh… hello miss?” Corrin nearly jumped out of her skin when some small feminine voice addressed her. Keaty would have laughed at her for doing such a thing. “Yer new around here, arentcha?” Corrin turned to see a woman, slightly shorter than her. Her brown hair is kept short, but there are a few knots in her hair. She also had dots peppered across her face. “D-do you need any help?” Almost like Corrin, she too was nervous.

Unlike Corrin, this woman’s legs were trembling. “I’m looking for someone who can teach using a sword.”

The little woman tilted her head, “There ain’t any weapon trainers here… though I s’pose the village guards might count.”

“Oh.” Village?

“B-but! I’m positive that the capital has trainers.”

“Capital?” Corrin echoes, earning a strange look from this woman.

“Shirasagi.”

“Sh...ira...sagi?” Why does that name have to be so hard? “Can you tell me which way to go?”

“The easiest way people tend to remember is, ‘In the direction of the rising sun.’”

“Oh, well… thank you.” Is this something she should pay for?

“Happy to help, miss…?” The smaller woman smiles.

“Corrin.”

“Mozu.” She bows… for some reason. “I wish you luck!”

“Okay…? Uh, goodbye, A Lady Mozu.” Corrin quickly started moving, unwilling to stay in this crowded area more than she has to.

She really wishes Keaty and Vella were here…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What was Setsuna doing way out there? She has an attachment to traps that rival none.
> 
> Also have to keep in mind that Corrin wasn't tutored in a royal setting, which leads to moments like 'A Lady Hinoka'. But hey, just be glad she didn't start invading someone's personal space and begin sniffing them.


	3. Surrounded by (Damn) Humans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty.

Yesterday left Corrin perplexed. Humans are supposed to be greedy and basically evil… but both A Lady Setsuna and A Lady Mozu proved otherwise. Were they just exceptions? The people in that village were caught somewhere between rude and well, not nice by any means. They were loud, there was a lot of shoving…

A Lady Setsuna and A Lady Mozu were exceptions, they had to be.

Still, all that really mattered was she was out of that village. And there’s no way she’s going back… she doubts that even A Lady Mozu would be good enough reason to return. Because, there was one thing for certain. She isn’t fond of humans, she’d rather go back and live with her family, the pack. She simply can’t understand how humans can live like that. There’s no order, everyone just does… things. Who leads them? There was certainly no spot that a ‘King’ would live in. That, and well… food was just out there. Far too much food at once. It just occurred to her what Keaty meant when he said they wasted a lot. There’s no way they eat all of that food.

...All of that food the packs could have, the humans throw out. How many animal lives do they waste? All of those animals who could have lived to seen another day.

No, why would they care? They’re just ‘mere beasts’, just as how they view the Wolfskin. A sudden anger fills her. Part of her wants to stop this journey, not because she doesn’t want to learn how to properly use a sword, but because of how much the humans have disgusted her. She simply doesn’t want to learn from a human… but that’s the only choice she has.

What’s of the higher importance, learning to wield a sword? Or avoiding humans?

And so, she keeps walking across the Hoshidan plains, towards ‘in the direction of the rising sun.’ More towns or villages or whatever the human places are called pepper the land, but she chooses to ignore them. She would rather avoid them as much as possible, lest another image of wasted materials burns itself into her memory. However, she wasn’t exactly able to bring a lot with her, as she has no large bag to tote dried rations or more gold. In essence, she needed more food and water.

Now, even though she was raised by Wolfskin, who have no problem eating meat straight from a fresh kill, Corrin has not developed the same tolerance. The meat doesn’t have to be fully cooked, but it does need to be heated for a bit. The problem comes in when she doesn’t have a steady supply of logs on her to make a fire, well that… and she never participated in a hunt. Her stomach growls in agreement, marking the point that she would be best finding some food.

With that in mind, she chooses to brave another village. Hopefully she has the gold for enough. She has no reference on how much something will cost. The one in sight is slightly larger than the last, and actually supports a wall surrounding it. The buildings also look somewhat larger. And once more, before she even gets to the wall, she can already hear the commotion and smell the food.

“Humans…” Corrin finds herself muttering as she enters the village, town, thing. A place of human residence. She would rather be back in the cave with her family, she wants to snuggle with Keaty and Vella. But, she won’t get stronger if she simply escapes into the furry embrace of her brother and sister. While yes, she truly makes enough of an impact by disarming traps, she feels bothered that she can’t defend herself. What would happen if she were disarming traps and she was assaulted? The others would be too far away to help her.

It’s simple, she would die.

Tears threatened to form as she felt an urge to howl… but she stops herself. This isn’t the place to howl, not with humans near her. She hates feeling defenseless. Again, she aches for the company of Keaty and Vella. Keaty would probably point out how ridiculous she’s acting, Vella would hold her for a few moments while telling her she’s alright. Both of these things only happen to her, the human in the Wolfskin pack. A woman who sees herself closer to a beast than a human.

This human place is far more louder than the last, and it somehow seems even more crowded. Her eyes scan the places where food is being kept, hoping that someone is just selling some meat. Easier said than done, of course. Fruits and vegetables are far more common, it would be something she would get, had she knowledge of any of them. Neither of them were common in the mountainous regions of Nohr… well, they were, but the problem is that she wasn’t the one who knew them by heart. One of the older Wolfskin, a female, handled the non-meat products. Since meat wouldn’t always be available to hunt.

The most common time would be during winter, and as usual for winter, the snow piled high. The Wolfskin would sleep for longer, but not hibernate as the bears would. However as for Corrin being human, she was unable to do the same, no matter how smushed she was between Keaty’s and Vella’s fur. Sometimes the cold still got to her, sometimes she would simply be restless. All of them ended the same, she would get up, wrap some beast’s fur around her, and walk around.

Snow always looked pretty to her, so she would play in it. She would build small objects out of the cold material. It was a simple kind of happiness. In fact, during one winter, she didn’t actually return to the den until Vella dragged her there.  _ “You scared me!” _ She exclaimed at the time,  _ “The snow blankets scent, if… if you got lost.” _ Corrin looked away, ashamed, then started shivering.  _ “You’re so cold, sister…” _ When they were back in the den, Vella made a small fire, then pulled Corrin close.  _ “Please, don’t leave like that.” _

...and now here she was. Alone. While, if they had to, Keaty and Vella could track her down now, what about when winter came again? When the snow would cover the mountains, killing off the trail she took?

Which lead to an even worse thought, what if she couldn’t find her way back? What if she ends up at another pack?

Her stomach growls again, prompting her to move a little faster. Food, she needs food. One thought leads to another, and now she remembers another winter, one where the snow was especially heavy, plants and animals alike were becoming scarce. This time, though, the pack was awake. The alpha sent out several groups, him among one, to get food. Only the young and old stayed behind, who instead worked to make sure the dens stays as warm as they could get them. Leftover animal fur was usually the first to get burned into a fire.

Corrin, being human and as susceptible as cold as she was, had to stay behind. So, she did what the other ones that stayed behind did. She gathered up flammable materials and made a fire, while wrapped in fur herself. She would sit at the fire, watching the entrance, growing increasingly anxious as the minutes ticked by. Every time she would get up and start pacing, worrying for the others, worrying for Keaty and Vella.

They would always return, and she would always eat the meat offered. This would be the only time of year where she stomached rawer meat, she simply had no choice. It wasn’t worth the time and effort to cook it when she could simply eat it. But, that’s not what made that year so memorable, that happened after the snow had melted and the packs were out again. It happened when bones were discarded. Among the unused animal remains held several sets of bones, connected in a way that Corrin knew exactly what it was.

That was the year the alpha brought back humans.

“Watch it!” She feels someone forcibly bump into her. While it did anger her, she was thankful that the man brought her out of that specific memory.

But then she found out why he did that. “Get back here!” She growled as the man took off with  **her** bag. “Damn human…” Corrin carelessly shoved people out of her way to get to the man. It doesn’t just have her meager amount of gold, but frankly, that is nothing compared to the fur that Keaty gave her. Simply knowing that pushed herself further, “Get back here!” She demands a second time as he weaves out of her sight…

But not out of her sense of smell. Forcing her way out of the crowd, she slips into an alleyway, where she catches a glimpse of this man. Narrowing her eyes and breaking into a sprint, she rounds the corner in half the time it took him. “...huh?” The last thing he saw was a livid Corrin, leaping through the air, grabbing him by the head and slamming it onto the concrete. Was he dead? She didn’t care, he  **stole** her bag. One of the only things she has to remind her of the Wolfskin… her family, the pack.

“Damn humans…” She repeats as she takes her bag back. Yet, the second she turns around, she sees the other end covered by humans in armor. “What?”

Another, even better equipped man walks forward, a weapon in hand. “Ma’am, stand down.”

“...He stole  **my** bag!” She counters.

“The judgement of someone’s well-being does not rest in your hands.”

..What?! That’s absurd! If one of the Wolfskin tried to take her things, she’d have every right to beat them into submission! “That’s stupid!” She snarls.

“Thievery does not lead to murder, ma’am. Come with us, please.” Without waiting, he walks forwards. There’s a few doors near her, a dead end behind her, buildings around her, and a throng of guards in front of her. Most would consider themselves trapped, but she’s lived in the mountain, and as such, can make seemingly impossible climbs.

She strapped the bag to her body, then flicked her eyes from spot to spot, looking at various points to imagine the best escape route. And when the guard is within a lance’s reach, she had it figured out. The man took one more step, and she dashed forward, hitting her top speed in almost two steps. By the time the man readied his own sword, she had already jumped, springboarding off of his helmet.

She could have sworn that she heard something in his body crack or snap, but she really doesn’t care for him. She jumps off of him, and grabs on a ledge, which is actually a small crack in the side of a building. She gains her footing in the next moment and is already climbing the building. The guards were caught off guard by her action, and she already scaled the building by the time they could recover themselves enough to act.

The ‘leader’ remained on the ground, his neck bent just a bit too much out of place, one corpse next the man who suffered a severe concussion. Human bodies aren’t as resilient as Wolfskin’s, after all. Yet, she can’t find herself to care. Not after what little she saw of what humans do. It’s honestly surprising that those leather-clad men who assaulted her sister’s group lasted as long as they did. Those men were exceptions, humans are obviously weak. Humans need special weapons to win against Wolfskin… which is why they made those Beast Killers.

Her stomach growls again, reminding her that she has yet to get anything. Keeping how easily she can outperform humans, she looks over the streets, trying to pick out a spot that serves meat. This is honestly sending adrenaline through her, and she likes it. Corrin licks her lips as she finally spots it… before she has to pull her head back as an arrow zips by her. With her heart racing, she dashes across the rooftop, before leaping off of it, covering nearly the entire street in a single jump. She then hits the wall on a building, thankfully her toughened skin providing enough reinforcement to keep it from grating her skin off.

She lands on the ground roughly, enough to cause some dust to fly up. Obviously the nearby humans started to panic… cowards. She makes her way towards the meat vendor, snatching several large pieces of meat, carelessly placing it in her bag, takes a few in her hand, blood and all, and places on in her mouth. The man is shouting at her, but she’s already gone. Her heart is racing, and internally she is giddy, absolutely delighted about what she just did…

Is this the same feeling the alpha and his group feels when they raid a caravan? Now… now she really wants to participate in one of the raids. How would Keaty and Vella react when she tells them what she’s done. Praise her? Would they have rather she killed them? What if she were to snag some trinkets here, then make them worthy of being treasures?

And in that moment, all thanks to that man stealing her bag, she had lost sight of her original goal. Now? Now she has no problem sticking around a bit if it means she can experience that again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only because she can get easily di...
> 
> Treasure!


	4. Trapped in a Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina.

It has been a few days since Corrin’s sudden addiction to raiding towns and villages, and the feeling has yet to get any less intense. Right now, she’s camping near a forest, without the campfire of course. According to the guards she’s a ‘criminal’, in other words, she’s willing to do what she can to survive. If they can’t keep their goods secure, then that’s their fault. If they can’t fend her off, it’s their fault.

She’s also become somewhat decent in her traps, but she has since forgone simple snares and ropes for more lethal ones. A few residual metal spikes here and there, some ‘bear’ traps there, and only a few ropes, but only because it was left over and she had enough to make one. How did those poachers have such an easy time with them?

 _“A-Ah!”_ Corrin once squeaked as she narrowly avoided being pierced by a bolt-loaded tripwire trap. It was her first week of scouting, well more of disarming traps. There were plenty who could easily scout out the areas, but Corrin had proved to be quick to learn, so why not have her break the traps apart? _“The pack needs me. I need to help the pack.”_ She breathes as she slips by a different tripwire, before slowly releasing the tension in the wire, as to keep it from firing off. She sighs as another one is disarmed, another potential family life saved. She smiles as she creeps along back to the dens…

That is when she heard one of the pack howl. She immediately bursted into a sprint, before tripping on a stray branch. _“Grr…”_ She groaned as she tried to… wait, that’s not a branch! _“Rope? How did I miss that?!”_ Immediately, the rope noose tightened around her ankle and she was sent up to dangle. _“K-Keaty! V-Vella!”_ She exclaimed, more out of reflex than any rational thought. What… what if a poacher is near? _“Br-breathe, think.”_ She pulled herself up, gasping as her muscles started to strain. She wasn’t as strong as the others, but she was getting there.

Slowly, she managed to grab a hold of the rope, nearly having to fold herself in half to do it. A little further and the knot was within sight, she deftly began undoing the cursed knot. Bit by bit, it slowly came undone… before she dropped right to the forest floor, forgetting to hold on to it after it came undone. _“Ow…”_ She took a moment to compose herself before she resumed her jog to the dens.

“Oh dearrr. Not again.”

...That voice. Corrin leaves the spot where she would sleep and walks towards the literally only non-lethal trap around her. “A Lady Setsuna?” Corrin asks as the Archer comes into view… eerily similar to their first meeting. A Lady Setsuna is dangling from her ankle.

“Wheeee…” As a gentle breeze starts spinning her around, “Oh, hello Corrin.” She drawls out. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“What are you doing?” Corrin narrows her eyes.

“Why do you call me ‘A Lady’ Setsuna? Isn’t that a mouthful?” Once more, she skirts around one of her questions.

“You called Hinoka, Lady Hinoka… you’re a woman, then you’re A Lady Setsuna.”

“Oh… I geeet it. So, hello, A Lady Corrin.”

“Yes, hello. What are you doing here?” Corrin was half-tempted to leave this area.

“I liked our chat last time, can we do that again?” Another breeze spins her in place.

“Alright…” Something about this is rubbing Corrin the wrong way. So, against her better judgement, she lets the Archer down and guides her back to the spot where Corrin will sleep. “What did you want to talk about?”

“A Lady Hinoka told me to try and look for some thief, all I know is that it’s a woman…” Setsuna pauses, “No, wait, I think she said something about her having… I forgot.” Setsuna stares blankly ahead, truly lost.

A cold sweat runs down Corrin’s neck. She knew something was off but to send A Lady Setsuna away now would be suspicious. “Strange.” She tries to keep her voice calm.

“Do you like camping?” She suddenly asks, “I like camping.”

Corrin looks at her strangely, “I do.” She lies. Corrin would rather spend her time in a cave.

“Hey, are you looking for something? I could ask A Lady Hinoka. She’s a princess, you know.”

...Princess? What’s a princess? Then it hits her, not the princess thing… but the reason she came here in the first place. “A sword trainer.”

“Cooool.” A Lady Setsuna has already seemed to lost interest. “We got a lot of those in Shirasagi.”

“Okay…” Corrin starts.

“Yeah, a lot of good ones.” She looks off in the distance, “I guess, anyway. The last time I used a sword I ended up cutting a rope, which dropped a sack of flour on me.”

“How much does it cost? For training?”

“I dunno.” Corrin gave A Lady Setsuna a blank stare, “I always used a bow. We could go and ask.”

“Perhaps you should go.” Corrin flatly states.

“...I don’t remember which way is out.” She drawls out, “That rope swing disoriented me.”

“Pick a direction and leave.”

“Good idea.” She gets up and starts walking… then Corrin hears a snap as one of her traps go off. “This one has spikes on it.” A Lady Setsuna calls out, completely unharmed. Corrin sighs and lies down, readying herself for sleep.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Sister?” Corrin groaned as she resisted the urge to wake up. “I loathe the mornings where you refuse to get up.” The voice sighs as she suddenly feels her side being prodded.

“A-Alright, I’m up!” Corrin started giggling, bolting up and smiling as she faced Vella, who has a blank look on her face.

“...You do that just so I start touching you.” Despite her aggravation, Vella is now smiling, too.

“Or Keaty.” The brother in question groaned about his nickname, but otherwise stays leaning on the wall. “What are we doing today?” Corrin eagerly asked.

“Play?” Vella’s eyes shined.

“As long as you two don’t burn yourselves out.” Keaty says, more like a stern father than a brother.

“You know you wanna play too, Keaty.” Corrin giggles as she practically skips over to him, “I mean, you are making quite the breeze with your tail right now!”

“Hey… Hey!” Keaty pulls back as Corrin started stroking his tail, “No touching!” He exclaims as his tail continues to act more like a fan.

“Vella?” Corrin raises an eyebrow.

“Sister.” The two share a look and Keaty gulps.

“Oh, Keaty…” The two say in unison and within a moment, they both dash towards their brother, who decides to take off, as well.

“This one again? Come on!” Keaty sighs as his two sisters chase him around the Wolfskin dens. “Why don’t you two play with each other?”

Vella and Corrin share another look, before both fully smiling, “Because your reactions are the best! Look at that tail go, Keaty!” Corrin laughs out loud.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corrin woke up, not because her body was rested and she felt like waking up. No, she heard a rustling and within a moment’s notice, was ready to fight. Similar situations happened back in the pack, where one of the Wolfskin would let out a howl to alert the others. With that reminder, she couldn’t forget one specific night, where a poacher rushed in and killed one of the pack, right in her line of sight. Corrin had to hold back a sob…

Yet, now that she has seen the average human’s life, it only serves to anger her. Damn humans...

“Setsuna?” A different feminine voice spoke. “Gods, there you are.”

“Helloooo, A Lady Hinoka.” Setsuna slowly replies. “Check it out, this one has spikes.”

“One moment.” Corrin could hear A Lady Hinoka heave a huge sigh, “What are you doing out here, anyway?”

“I was following this cute little squirrel, then I saw something shiny.” Corrin poked her head around the tree, seeing a fiery red-head carefully trying to maneuver her way around Corrin’s trap. “There was this lady earlier who helped me out of the first one.”

“Hold still, Setsuna!” A Lady Hinoka scolds the Archer. “You are incredibly lucky that you weren’t skewered.”

“She’s kinda pretty.” Setsuna continues, “I think you would like her, she’s got a lot of muscle, too.”

“Yes, that’s nice. Now, would you please stop swinging around?”

“Her hair’s kinda white, too. Or was it a light pink?” Setsuna pauses, talking that is as she’s still swaying back and forth, “Her eyes were definitely as red as your hair.”

At this point, A Lady Hinoka stops mid-tug, “Pointed ears?” Corrin reflexively touched her eartips… how does A Lady Hinoka know that?

“I dunno, her hair has always covered them. She told me her name last time we met, but I can’t remember it.”

“You met her before!? Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“...I forgot.”

“Gods, Setsuna.” A Lady Hinoka had managed to successfully free Setsuna and prevent her from being skewered by the spikes. And it was at that point that Corrin heard a neigh right behind her. “Skychaser? What’s the matter, girl?” Corrin had startled enough to cause her to jump, how did she not smell that beast coming? “H-Hey!” Corrin turns to see that A Lady Hinoka staring right at her, disbelief in her eyes. Taking her stunned moment into account, Corrin dashed off in the other direction. “W-Wait! What’s your name?”

Corrin refused to answer, instead opting to grab her pack near her sleeping spot, then running out of the forest, skillfully avoiding all of her own traps. Within that same minute, she had already fled the entire forest, her legs taking her faster than any other human could hope to mimic. However, there was one thing she didn’t take into account, at least not until she saw the shadow looming over her.

That A Lady Hinoka actually could ride that Pegasus. “Please, hold on a moment.” Hinoka attempted as she lowered the flying beast enough to fly alongside Corrin’s high ground speed. Corrin shoots a glare at the woman, before sharply turning on her heel and running to the right. “Is your name Corrin? Ma’am?”

...How does she know? That one thought caused Corrin to lose focus just long enough to hit a rock, causing her to skid along the ground. She’s definitely experienced worse pain when landing, but it’s more embarrassing to have made such a mistake when she’s had so much practice with her free-running. A Lady Hinoka lands near her, and she kneels next to Corrin. “Hey,” A Lady Hinoka gently speaks as one of her hands brush Corrin’s hair aside, revealing her pointed ears. “...Corrin?” She breathes.

Corrin tries to get up and dash off again, but of all things, A Lady Hinoka practically yanks her into a hug. There was nothing but relief on A Lady Hinoka’s end. Not that Corrin knew why. “L-Let go!” She exclaims, trying and failing, to break free of the embrace. “...damn it, human. Let go!”

She stops the hug, but refuses to let go, “Corrin?” She gently asks, “You… don’t remember me?” Hurt lines her eyes, “I’m your big sister, Hinoka.”

...The alpha did say she was from Hoshido and that she was taken from some King, recklessly proclaiming on how he got her. This… human is her sister? “I don’t know you.” She finally says, “But I know I don’t like you for that.”

“...You were only a baby when you were taken from us.” Tears are now forming in her ‘sister’s’ eyes. “Our father was killed in a peace meeting between Nohr and Hoshido.”

Which lines up with what the alpha told her. “Then… you’re family?”

A Lady Hinoka smiles, “That’s right, I’m your big sister.” She proclaims with pride, she gestures towards herself and the Pegasus, “I trained so hard everyday so… um?” By this point Corrin had buried herself into A Lady Hinoka’s embrace… but not to hug her.

Instead, she did what she would do with Keaty or Vella, and took a deep breath of the woman’s scent. “You’re spicy.” She concludes.

“Sister?” Hinoka seems put off, now.

Oh right, humans don’t sniff each other. Oh well. “Habits.” She admits with a smile, earning only a confused look from A La… Hina. Corrin has decided to call her Hina. “Are there others, Hina?”

“...Hina?” Hina repeats.

Corrin quickly nods, then points a finger on Hina’s… breast, “Hina. Do I have a brother, Hina?”

“Two of them. You also have a little sister.” A pause, “Come on, I’ll take you back home.”

“Is A Lady Setsuna walking back, then?”

“Gods… that’s right.” Hina sighs. “Setsuna!”

“Which way, Hina?” Corrin asks as Setsuna, more or less, stumbles her way over there.

“We’ll walk…”

“No! I want to run.”

“That’s a long distance to run, sister. I don’t know how long we…”

Corrin scrunches her face, “No, you and A Lady Setsuna use your Pegasus. I will run.” ...Humans.

“Corrin.”

“Hina and A Lady Setsuna will use Hina’s Pegasus.” Corrin stubbornly states. “I will run.”

She sighs, “Alright, sister.” Hina gets back on her Pegasus, then proceeds to help Setsuna up, “Let’s go.”


	5. Nicknames

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus.

Corrin loves the feeling of the rushing wind hitting her, more so when it’s caused by her running through it. She switched back to her more tattered set of clothes, much to Hina’s shock when Corrin did that right in front of her with zero shame. She's panting, her face is red, sweat is pouring down her body in waves, and she smells horrid…

She rarely feels better than like this.

“Sister!” Hina yells from atop her Pegasus, “Aren't you tired yet?”

How long has it been? An hour? Two hours? Perhaps if she were in the mountains, then yes. But, the plains have such little obstacles. “Nah!” She yells back… but then sees something that would quickly change her mind.

Few things are better than a long run, and jumping into a lake is one of them. Without warning, she shifted her direction and went straight for the body of water. She dropped her bag to the side before she got too close to the lake, though. “Sister?!” Hina exclaimed as Corrin jumped in, clothes and all. She was really hoping the water would have been colder. It felt… lukewarm, like she's already been in it for an hour. Still, that didn't stop her from swimming around. “Gods, sister…” Hina sighed as she guided her Pegasus to land, to which both she and A Lady Setsuna have dismounted.

Corrin simply looked skyward as she floated around on the top. Even with meeting her real sister, Corrin found herself wanting to be with Keaty and Vella instead. Maybe she should just give Hina some time? “The water looks nice, A Lady Hinoka, maybe we should follow A Lady Corrin’s example?”

“Okay, first off.” Hina starts, “Where did this ‘A Lady’ come from?”

“You’re a lady, Hinoka. Therefore, you are A Lady Hinoka.” Even though Corrin wasn’t looking she knew that A Lady Setsuna is now looking her way, “Should she be called A Lady Hina, now?”

“Mmm…” Corrin hummed out loud. “Hina or A Lady Hinoka.” She concludes.

“Do I get a nickname?” A Lady Setsuna followed up.

“Seta.”

“Setaaaa.” Seta echoes.

“Corrin.” Hina calls out, causing the Wolfskin-raised human to stop floating and instead face her. “Where  **were** you? All of these years?” Corrin can see the emotions swelling up in Hina again…

_ “You are not to return until you have finished. It would end terribly if humans found out our location.” _ The alpha’s warning echoes in her own mind. “Traveling.” She lies, “A lot of camping.”

“A Lady Corrin enjoys camping.” Seta adds.

“You camped, on your own, for sixteen years?”

“Pretty much, Hina.” It didn’t take an expert in body language to know that Hina isn’t accepting it. Corrin’s good at faking emotions, not conjuring lies on the spot… but above even that, she refuses to let her pack be found out. “When can we eat?” Corrin groans.

“I can go catch something, A Lady Corrin.” Seta starts, but then pauses, “Can you have a nickname, too?”

Another hum from Corrin, “Lupus.” The alpha said that it was a ‘Nohrian’ word, meaning wolf.

“Luuuupus.” Seta echoes.

“Lupus?” Hina asks, which thankfully means that the Hoshidans have a different word for wolf. “At least ours have somewhat similar letters, why is yours so different?”

“...Would you rather call me Corn?” Lupus states, flatly.

“Point taken. I’m still calling you, Corrin, though.”

“A Lady Corrin or Lupus.” Seta states.

“I’m not doing either! Her name is Corrin!” Hina exclaims, if a bit too loudly.

“I dunno Hina, Lupus sounds pretty good.” Seta continues.

“Gods…” Hina sighs. “You know, Setsuna, sometimes I wonder what was going through my head when I made you my retainer.”

“Are we eating yet?” Lupus asks.

“Oh right, I was going to catch something…” Seta drawls out. “I'll be back soon, Hina.” The archer walks off.

“Sister?” Hina asks as she approaches the edge of the lake. “I'm… happy you've returned.”

“What are the others called, Hina?”

“Our family?” She asks and receives a nod, “Ryoma is the eldest brother, Takumi is the younger brother, Sakura is the little sister, and Mikoto is our mother.”

“Mother…” Lupus only had a father figure… sort of. The alpha wasn’t keen on the human things. She didn't have a mother figure. Well, Vella would occasionally dote and fuss over her, but she's still more of a sister. Yet again, the pain of not having Keaty and Vella with her returns.

“Sister? What's wrong?”

Lupus found herself mid way from howling, head tilted back with tears rolling down again. No, not here… not near humans, so she lowers her head, locking eyes with Hina. “It's nothing.” She gets out of the lake, picks up her bag, and curls up on the grass around her bag, guarding it like the treasure it is. “Just hungry.” She mutters as she lets out a sigh.

“Sister…” Hina repeats. “Well, if you don’t want me to pry.” She still walks closer and takes a seat near her. “We’re family, it’s only right that I worry for your well-being.” Hina literally reaches out and starts gently stroking Lu… Corrin’s hair. Corrin rubbed her head closer in kind, while trying to prevent the rising set of satisfied growls that came with it. Though, with the much desired stroking came heavier eyelids, and she fell asleep like that, curled around her bag with Hina stroking her hair.   
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corrin awoke with Keaty’s back pressing against her front and Vella’s front rubbed up against her back, yet even with both of their furs, on top of another animal fur around Corrin, she shivered. It’s… colder than normal, winters aren’t usually this bad. She slowly raised her head and looked outside, the snow is also piling higher than normal. Corrin whined as she tried to pull the blanket of fur closer, to no success.

She then felt Vella somehow get even closer, as her arms wrapped around her body, pulling her closer… yet her sister is still fast asleep. Corrin’s heart warmed, even in her sleep, Vella still helped. Corrin rolled over so she could shove her face into the woman’s cleavage, as to keep her face better warmed. She then startled as Keaty’s arms came around her, pulling himself closer. This… this is literally the closest they have ever been.

And they’re still asleep, still protecting her. A human lacking the fur of a Wolfskin. “I love you two, soooo much.” She muttered as she closed her eyes, relishing in the warmth.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Corrin blinked her eyes and looked beside her, where Hina was, apparently as fast asleep as she was earlier. Corrin frowned, Hina isn’t Vella. The residual smell of smoke hits her, from a campfire that has long since been extinguished… how long as she been out? Seta is lying on the ground, as well, with only Hina’s Pegasus providing any sort of lookout duty. “Vella…” Corrin mutters as she gets up. She then notices her vision is blurry… she was crying? “Keaty…” Corrin clutched at herself, wanting the warmth of that dream to come real.

She misses them so much.

Hina stays put, still in deep sleep. Corrin takes a breath and walks a bit out of camp. She then looks up… the moon is so pretty at night. The sky is black and bare, no cloud in sight, and only the stars and moon provide any sort of light. This… this would be exactly the type of night that Keaty and Vella would get up on. The nights that Keaty, Vella, and her would go onto the nearby hill. They would hold hands, and all at once raise their heads skywards and… and… they would howl together. Then it would be a sound of love, having a place in the pack, having each other.

_ “Sister?” _ Vella would shake her sister in the dead of night,  _ “Sister!” _

_ “Ugh, erm… huh?” _ Corrin groggily replied,  _ “Not… morning. Sleep.” _

_ “The moon’s up in full, sister.” _ Vella tried again, then grabbed her sleeping sister’s hand.

_ “Alright.” _ Slightly energized, but still half-asleep, Corrin gets up with her sister’s assistance,  _ “I like howling.” _ She simply states.

_ “It’s enjoyable, isn’t it?” _ Vella nodded.

_ “Where’s Keaty?” _ Corrin looked around… then tripped on a rock.

_ “Leaning on a tree on that hill, of course.” _

_ “...Vella?” _ Corrin started,  _ “Even with me being human, you still really care for me. And I like that.” _

_ “Who cares what you are, sister. You’re part of the pack. Or, I suppose you’re part of the family.” _ Vella smiles, squeezing Corrin’s hand.

_ “Will we always be together? Can I always wake up next to you two?” _ Corrin sniffs,  _ “I don’t want to lose either of you.” _

_ “I would like that, sister.” _ Vella hugged the human woman she called a sister.

_ “One more thing. Can I have a nickname, too?” _

Minutes passed in silence as Vella thought it over, and it wasn’t until all three were up on the hill, holding hands, that she did answer,  _ “Lupus.” _

_ “Lupus?” _ Corrin echoes, getting a feel for the word,  _ “Lupus. Lupus!” _

_ “You are too excitable.” _ Keaty huffed.

_ “Says the one creating a windstorm right now.” _ Lupus grinned.

_ “...” _ Keaty refused to respond to that,  _ “Can we howl, now?” _

_ “To family, and the pack.” _ Lupus smiled.

_ “To us, brother and sisters.” _ Vella added.

The two sisters looked at Keaty,  _ “To these two nutcases that call themselves sisters.” _ He cracked a smile. After no more than a few seconds later, they howled in unison.

Now? Even with Hina and Seta, it’s a sound of sorrow and loneliness. Corrin openly cried as she sang her tune, low and emotional, wanting to be with her Wolfskin family again. She held the sound for a long period of time, with its pitch steadily growing lower and quieter, like a beast’s final breaths. And when it did finally finish, she collapsed on the ground, unwilling to move with her ears perked, waiting for a response that will never come. Vella and Keaty are too far away to hear that, and it seems there aren’t any local wolves that will offer her the same comfort.

She’s alone.

“Sister?” Hina asked, startling Corrin. “I heard a wolf’s howl.” She plainly states.

“I know.” Corrin quietly responded, near inaudible as she clutched her bag closer, feeling the treasure from Keaty even without pulling it out. But, there was a more pressing concern with her last pieces of home. The scent has almost faded… whatever remained of Keaty’s, Vella’s, and even the alpha’s scent is almost gone, as Corrin’s and nature becomes all that she can smell.

Soon, all she will have is her memories.

“If there’s one wolf, there’s more. We should…”

“It’s fine.” Corrin paused, but before Hina could add anything, “That wolf was just sad, it’s been separated from the pack.”

“Sister… how can you tell?”

Corrin forces a smile on her face, “You can learn a lot in the woods, Hina.” Her expression of happiness nearly looks genuine, even if her lie falls flat.

“Corrin.” Hina tries again.

“But, you’re right. We shouldn’t stay too long.” Corrin rises from her spot.

“Sister…” Hina trails off as Corrin passes right by her, bag already strapped back on her person, “Setsuna! We’re leaving!”

“...huh?” Seta gets up, but nearly stumbles over, “Now?” The Archer gets her answer as her liege mounts her Pegasus, “Okay… But I don’t think I can hang on.” Regardless, Seta got onto Hina’s Pegasus, then wrapped her arms around the red-hair’s body. Right as Hina’s Pegasus took flight, and only a moment before Corrin herself started running…

A howl echoed in the distance.


	6. Loosening Lips and Flower Petals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus. Sakura = Saku.
> 
> In which Corrin makes more awkward moments, learns some words, and maybe reaches 'E' support with Hana.

Corrin's opinion on human society only went down as the place of living got larger. The 'Village' with A Lady Mozu was… bearable. The 'Town' after that was horrible. But now the 'City' near Castle Shirasagi? Corrin wanted to leave. Now. It was somehow even louder than the town, there were even more people crammed into one place. Hina and Seta were handling it just fine, but Corrin? "I'm leaving." Corrin proclaimed without hesitation, unwilling to deal with all of these humans.

"C-Corrin?!" Hina exclaimed, "We're almost there!"

"Aw, you're leaving, Lupus?" Seta asked.

"No! She is not leaving!" She fires back. "Rig… Corrin!" Corrin had already walked off, heading straight for the entrance to leave. "Please Corrin, wait!" Hina quickly grabbed Corrin's arm…

Then found herself flat on the ground less than a second later. "I'm. Leaving." For a moment, her expression is dangerous, her red eyes seeming to make their own source of light. There was something unspoken of in her eyes, something chained, held back by only some sort of wall. Whatever hazard lurked in the depths of her eyes was enough to freeze Hina in place.

Whatever was in there was to not be let out.

It wasn't until Corrin took two steps before Hinoka regained herself, "But, you wanted to meet our family. You've finally returned after…"

"I'm not dealing with these…" Corrin stops herself, closes her eyes, then takes a breath. "Fly me in." When she reopens them, that lurking danger is gone, and the glowing red has dimmed back to it's normal hue.

But it's not like Hina can simply forget what she saw, "It's not a long walk…" Hina slowly states as she gets up.

"Fly me in, or I'm leaving." She stubbornly declares.

"...Alright, sister." Hina conceded, "C'mon then, I'll take you to the stables." Corrin followed Hina, nearly step for step behind her, with Seta within arm's reach. Outwardly, Corrin had a mask of bravery on, but inside? Anxious, she didn't think the human settlements could have gotten any worse after the 'Town', but they have. "Setsuna, go on ahead to the castle, we'll be there shortly."

"Suuure thing, Hina… I'll see you soooon, Lupus." Seta lazily smiles as she walks towards Castle Shirasagi.

"Sister, could you please tell me what has happened over the years?" Hina tries as they enter the stables.

 _"The pack's location isn't to be known, pup."_  Once more, the alpha's warning echoes through Corrin. "I told you, traveling."

"Not the whole time! Who… who took care of you? Who taught you the things you know? How do you know what a wolf's howl means?" Tears steadily started to increase as Hina nearly rambled the questions. Corrin simply looked away, both unable to get a lie out quickly enough, and to prevent herself from breaking down from Hina's increasingly distressed face. She… looks a lot like Vella when she gets that concerned.

 _"Corrin?"_  Vella asked one day, a worried expression about her, ears down and a tail that refused to move.  _"What… happened? Why are you bleeding?"_

 _"I wanted to help."_  Corrin simply replied, going over the various cuts and gashes that formed when she 'snuck' out recently.  _"I heard that traps were a problem and…"_

 _"And what would have happened if_ ** _you_** _got caught?! What if_ ** _we_** _lost_ ** _you_** _!?"_  Vella's facial expression showed a mix of anger and hurt, but the rest of her body language is nothing but concern.

 _"How can I consider myself part of the pack if I can't contribute? I can't hunt, I don't know how to fight, I don't know which herbs are which, I…"_  Corrin went from relaxed to tense, her fists already so tight that her fingers were going white,  _"It's not fair! I know I'm not like everyone else, but I need to be able to do something!"_

 _"Sister…"_  Vella pulled Corrin into a hug, like she always does whenever Corrin seems to need the physical contact.

 _"I… I might as well learn something now. The alpha won't keep letting me just do nothing for much longer… I mean. Both you and Keaty are already doing a lot of things, and here I am… just…"_  In that moment, Corrin broke down, returning the hug with a more vice-grip and crying freely on Vella's furry shoulder.

"Sister?" For a moment, Corrin thought Vella was actually here, holding her, but no… Hina is the one hugging her, assuring her that everything will be 'alright'. "I'm sorry, I had no right to push for answers… if you don't want to answer, I won't keep asking."

"...Thank you, Hina… sister." Both stood there for a few minutes, two sisters sharing a hug, "I'm sorry for being rude. This is just new to me." Corrin whispers.

"Having you taken from us damaged us in a way that is just…" Hina stops herself, "I'm just so happy you're back, happy beyond anything I can express." When they break the hug, Hina's eyes are shining and a full smile is on her face.

Corrin returns the smile, "Can I go see them, now?" She asks.

"You bet!" And just like that, the mood was raised, the sorrow nearly gone. Corrin wiped what tears remained off of her face as Hina guided her Pegasus back outside. Hina applied the saddle and got onto the flying beast and Corrin quickly followed.

"Uh, not too sudden…" Hina started, but was shocked as Corrin's abrupt and somewhat forceful mounting actually didn't bother her Pegasus a bit. In fact, Corrin was already stroking the feathers of the beast, earning a small whiny. Somehow, her Pegasus was already comfortable with Corrin riding her. Hina smiled, "Alright, hold on, sister." Corrin wrapped her arms around Hina and pressed her body against hers… before taking a deep breath of her scent.

"You still smell spicy…" Corrin says as they took off.

* * *

Hina landed her Pegasus in the gardens, the only really open area around the castle. Corrin dismounted first, taking in the sight of the trees and flowers already available to look at. It… was like a piece of the forest, right here in the center of a human settlement.

She liked it.

Corrin immediately started walking around, looking at each and every different plant, honestly trying to find some that matched the ones near the den. Ultimately, she didn't. "They're pretty, aren't they?" Hina commented.

"They're unfamiliar…" Corrin started, "I don't like that." It was selfish of her to wish that the garden would only sport plants like the ones near her den, but her heart still aches for Keaty and Vella. Is it wrong to want a piece of home here?

"Sister…" There is disapproval in her voice.

Maybe learning them will help? "Hina?" Corrin starts, "What's that?" She points at some yellow flower.

"A sunflower." Hina said as she followed Corrin's line of sight, "But uh… don't expect me to know all of them."

"How about that one?" A white… ball of sorts.

"Uh… dandelion?" Hina sounds as uncertain.

"That?" A tree, pink-ish petals.

"Cherry Blossom. I'd never forget that one." Hina proudly proclaimed.

"That." One of the many trees sporting green leaves.

"I don't know which one, specifically."

"Oh… that?" Some red flower. A very uncertain 'uh…' followed. Scrunching her face, Corrin pointed at another one, it's purple.

"I'm not an botanist, Corrin, I…"

"What's a botanist?" Corrin interrupts.

"Someone who studies plants." At least she knows that. "Sister, did you not have flowers where you were?"

"Trees, I wasn't the one who knew plants." She replies, "Hina? Why were you so surprised when I switched clothes in front of you?"

Somehow, that question made her face burn, "People don't… get naked in front of other people."

"Hina? Can you teach me other things, too?"

"I would be happy to share what I know." Hina smiles, but then the smile dips to a thin line, "Wait, what do you mean 'I wasn't the one who knew plants'?"

Corrin's eyes widened for a moment and she snapped her mouth shut… she slipped. "I…"

"Sister please, if you would just tell me." Contradicting her earlier statement, Hina pushes again, "Were these people at least nice to you? Can I know that much? Were you in good hands?"

Corrin wracked her mind, looking for a way to end this topic, but… "Yes, they were." She replies in a clipped manner. She's failing, but at least she didn't tell who they were. "Family, even." Corrin whispered to herself. "Where are the others?" The question came out loud.

Thankfully, Hina seemed pleased with her earlier response. "Takumi is probably training, Ryoma is either training or attending to some royal duties, Sakura is most likely in the clinic, and Mother is managing Hoshido as Queen." …Only a King is supposed to rule. If the alpha were to die, his mate wouldn't be the one to rule, it would be the next strongest male.

...wait, "What's a clinic?" Humans are weird.

"A place where people have their injuries healed."

Nodding, Corrin then asks, "Who are we seeing first?"

Corrin can practically hear the smile forming on Hina's face, "Our little sister, Sakura." With that, as if on cue, Hina stops at a door, then proceeds to knock on it. "Little sister?" She calls out.

"B-Big s-sister? H-h-h-hold on!"

"It's okaaay, A Lady Sakura… I can wait." ...What's Seta doing in there?

The door opens to reveal a lighter-red hair woman, about the same height as Corrin. She's gripping a wooden staff of sorts, "Big sister!" Sakura immediately greets Hina.

"Setsuna…" Hina sighs as the sisters share a hug, "What  **are**  you doing in here?"

"Heeeey, Hina… I tripped in a dirt hole and sprained my ankle." Seta drawls out from her cot.

Hina sighs again, before returning her attention to Sakura, "Little sister? There's someone I want you to meet."

Sakura's eyes quickly flick towards Corrin, "Is she hurt?"

Hina actually chuckles, "No. I know you never seen her before, but… Sakura. This is Corrin, your other big sister."

"C-Corrin?" Sakura takes a step forward from Hina, tears already forming. "Y-You're Corrin? Big sister?" In that moment, Sakura practically leapt towards Corrin, pulling her into a hug. "I-I-I'm so h-h-happy to s-s-s-see you!"

Corrin eagerly returns the hug, relishing it more for the physical contact than anything else. Then, on reflex, take a breath of Sakura's scent… flowery and sweet. Sakura didn't seem to notice she was being sniffed, but Hina did. "Saku." Corrin declared.

"Saku?" Saku echoed.

"Saaaaaku." Seta also echoed.

"Corrin likes giving people nicknames." Hina informs her.

"O-oh!" Saku pulls back from the hug.

Corrin nods, "Saku." She points at Sakura, "Hina." A finger at Hinoka. "Seta." Towards the bed-ridden Setsuna. "Lupus." She gestures towards herself.

"Lupus?" Sakura tilts her head.

"Lupus." Corrin confirms.

"Doesn't Lupus sound good, Saku?" Seta asks from her cot.

"Setsuna has already picked up on a few of Corrin's habits." Hina supplies for Saku.

"Is that why she kept calling me 'A Lady Sakura'?"

"...Yep."

"Sister… where…" Saku starts.

"She won't tell." Hina finishes.

"B-But… she's back! You're back!" Saku suddenly exclaims, then instantly reddens at her own boldness. "Gods, you're back…" Another hug, this one far more tighter than the last. Saku only seemed to clutch tighter as she started crying. "Big sister…"

Is she back? For how long? No, Lupus internally disagrees, she isn't 'back'. It's just a visit, until she can learn how to properly wield a sword, then she's leaving. Her family, the pack, needs her. They struggle daily, and it looks like the humans don't face the same issues. They have excess of food out on the streets! It's no wonder there are so many of them, they keep shoving food their way so they can practically mate without worry!

It sickens her.

"Let's go see Takumi next." Hina suggests, "he's your little brother."

"She… doesn't remember?" Saku asks as Hina starts walking, the others, including Lupus, follow suit.

"No, she doesn't."

"That's…" Saku is now visibly trembling.

"Lady Sakura? Lady Sakura!" Another woman, this one is about Saku's height. Long brown hair and wearing what Lupus recognizes as a Samurai's outfit, a katana by her side. "You… weren't in the clinic." She takes a breath, a look of disapproval on her face.

"O-Oh. S-Sorry, Hana." Saku taps her staff, "Big sister br-brought C-Corrin back."

The Samurai, Hana, looks over to Lupus, who gives her a blank stare in response. "Lady Corrin?"

"Yes?" Why are there so many humans now? This woman isn't family, so why is she here?

Perhaps she asked that with a bit too much venom, since Hana frowned. "Hey, Hana." Hina says in a lowered voice, "Something serious has happened to her, she refuses to speak about where she's been."

Apparently, they must think her hearing is as weak as theirs. "Oh…" Hana replies as quietly. "It's good to meet you, Lady Corrin! My name is Hana, and I am one of Lady Sakura's retainers!" Her enthusiasm is faked.

And it only serves to worsen her opinion on humans. While yes, Lupus too, fakes emotions, at least she can be convincing. Hana is more of a pup trying to act innocent even though they were clearly caught in the act. "Right." She replies curtly, making her annoyance well known. "Can we go see Takumi now?"

Hana shares a look with Hina and Saku, clearly confused on what she's done to annoy Lupus. "Sure thing." Hina smoothly states, trying to keep the situation from getting any more tense.

 _"Never trust them."_  A Wolfskin, one of the eldest, told her at one point,  _"Humans will pile on each other to get what they want._ ** _Want_** _, not_ ** _need_** _."_  He stressed.

Corrin nodded,  _"Understood."_  The alpha, Keaty, and Vella were all out, and Corrin still hadn't found something she could contribute outside of the dens. The eldest Wolfskin invited her over, sharing what wisdom he has in store.  _"Humans are evil."_  She paused,  _"Will I become evil?"_

He chuckled, it came out more as a rumble than humorous,  _"I think not, pup. Tell me, do you think yourself as human?"_

 _"..."_  She thought it over,  _"I don't want to. I'm part of the pack."_

_"Then have no fear of going down their path. You may not be born Wolfskin, but as long as you consider yourself one of the pack, you won't ever stray into the humans' pit."_

_"Even if I still do 'human' things?"_  She tilted her head.

 _"Even if you still have human habits."_  He nodded,  _"Now, let's finish off teaching you how to better insulate the dens."_

Corrin's face started beaming,  _"You bet!"_

"I'm not human." Corrin whispers to herself, almost so quietly that even she couldn't hear herself. "Wolfskin, not human. Wolfskin, not human."


	7. Brotherly Archer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus. Sakura = Saku.

Corrin, Saku, Seta, Hina, and Hana are traveling the length of the castle to get to Takumi, Corrin’s younger brother. Hina told her that he’s a skilled archer, and might be a bit brash. Corrin would have disregarded the brash bit, had he also not been an archer. Corrin is fine with Seta being an archer, but only because she is so easy to be around.

_ “What happened?” _ Corrin peaked her head over Vella, who has some blood on her hands.  _ “Sister?” _ She asked, growing increasingly worried.

_ “Brother’s been shot.” _ She growled,  _ “He was hunting with the alpha and got hit by an arrow.” _ She suddenly rises, an anger consumed her.

_ “Wh-what?! Where is he?” _ Corrin jumped up,  _ “Is he going to be okay? Does he need help? Does…” _

_ “He’ll be fine, pup.” _ The alpha walked in.  _ “He’ll recover, so sit.” _ With him looking so composed, Corrin immediately believed that Keaty would be fine…

It didn’t do much to calm her nerves, though.  _ “When can I see him?” _ She looked up at the tall Wolfskin.

_ “A day or two.” _ He simply replied,  _ “I already have a few of the pack to get some herbs. He’ll be fine. So, breathe, relax.” _ The alpha sounded uncomfortable saying that, but Corrin wouldn’t actually do that on her own. She’s human, so he’s trying to accommodate for her other needs.

_ “Keaty will be fine.” _ She nodded, then took a breath,  _ “Keaty will be fine.” _

_ “And you.” _ The alpha turned his gaze to Vella,  _ “Wash before the blood dries.” _ With that, he left.

_ “I’ll be back soon, sister.” _ Vella gave her a gentle smile. For a while, Corrin was left to her own devices. In order to keep her from falling back into a pit of worry, she decided to do… something. Like what? It clicked in her mind a moment later. She would get Keaty a present!

Corrin had to hold back a growl as she digested the fact her little brother is an archer, the kind that could have severely hurted Keaty. But, she reasoned, Seta is also an archer, and she is too nice to be like that one archer. Her brother? If he is as brash as Hina claims, she’s going to remain wary.

Humans are greedy, vile. But, Mozu, Hina, Saku, and Seta have all went against that fact. Maybe there were more ‘good’ humans than she thought? Would her little brother also be a part of the good humans?

Out of all the people she has met so far, she dislikes Hana the most. She wouldn’t ever ask to learn swords from her. Oh sure, Hana is nice to the others, but the moment Corrin is the focus? Glaring. Yet, she tries to hide it, Corrin doesn’t. “I don’t like you.” Corrin finally says, causing the whole group to halt.

“Sister?” Hina asks, unsure of the sudden declaration.

“Her.” Corrin doesn’t even bother pointing, just simply staring Hana down. Unlike Hana, however, Corrin’s gaze has a rather large bite to it, and even the Samurai found herself feeling smaller under it. “I don’t like her.”

“What did I do?!” Hana asks, feigning ignorance.

“You’re…” a human, is how Corrin was going to finish it, but she managed to stop herself, “rude.”

“I’m not the one going around declaring ‘I don’t like’ people!” She shot back.

“Lupus?” Seta asks.

“Yes, Seta?” Lupus smiles.

“It’s not a good idea to tell people you don’t like them. Besides, give her a chance, she’s nice.” The archer lazily smiles. Lupus takes her request into consideration… maybe later.

“Pl-please stop.” Saku quietly asks, while tapping on her staff.

“Of course, Lady Sakura.” Hana instantly backs off.

How does a woman have that much control? Do humans have some sort of… female alpha? Seta is the same way around Hina. Did Seta and Hana submit themselves to Corrin’s sisters? Corrin racked her mind as she tried to process the idea of ‘retainers’. It sounded more like voluntary slavery than anything, do… does being a ‘retainer’ include mating? Corrin mentally kicked herself, of course not! Women can’t get women pregnant.

But, that’s how much difficulty Corrin had trying to understand the idea of a ‘retainer’.

_ “So, humans don’t have… an alpha?” _ Corrin asked the alpha at one point.

_ “They don’t.” _ As always his responses are short and curt.

_ “How can they run if they don’t have one?” _

_ “Heh, a mystery that isn’t worth the effort to figure out. Just know that the highest rule is their King.” _ The alpha scoffed.

_ “Have you seen a King, before?” _

The alpha taps the old scar across his chest,  _ “That came from the King of Nohr himself, an axe as large as I am wide.” _

Corrin gaped as she tried to picture that,  _ “He’s strong?” _

_ “Yes.” _ The wolfskin nodded.  _ “Very strong.” _ He suddenly licked his lips, a desire running through his eyes,  _ “I’d like to fight him again.” _

_ “What does fighting feel like?” _ She, Keaty, and Vella were still part of the youth. While yes, they had little play fights, none of them have yet to fight to kill.

_ “Our little human is interested in shedding blood?” _ He chuckles, before lowering his massive form to meet her at eye level,  _ “There are few things more enjoyable, pup.” _

_ “When will we start fighting, then?” _ Corrin’s eyes light up.

_ “A few more years, pup… a few more years.” _

…

It has been ‘a few more years’, and Corrin only ever got to fight that one man. She isn’t strong enough to fight with the others. “Yep, what did I tell you? In the training yard.” Hina openly smiles as they finally arrive in another open area, this one lacking the trees and flowers of the garden. In their place, there were an assortment of weapons and… Straw humans? Did humans hate other humans so much that they have to make replicas of them to hit?

“Bulls-eye.” A man says as he fires off a glowing arrow that splits the head of one of the straw humans open. And he seemed… satisfied? Does he hate humans, too? How was he raised? Corrin has the distinct feeling he isn’t one of the good humans.

“Hey, if it isn’t Takumi!” Hina walks up, unbothered by what he just did. Maybe… her ‘family’ isn’t as peaceful as she thought.

“Big sister.” He regards her flatly, only adding to the fact that her family is probably as bad as Corrin thought he was. “You’re back early. Did you find that thief?”

Hina tenses, “About that.”

“She got away…” Takumi sighs.

“No, she’s here, it’s just that…” Takumi wasn’t expecting that reply, and so an arrow is sent far off its mark, “Well, I wasn’t hoping to introduce her like that, but… Takumi, here’s your other big sister, Corrin!”

Takumi takes one look at Corrin, “My big sister is a thieving scoundrel?”

“Takumi!” Hina chided him.

“I don’t like you, either.” Corrin was quick to bite back.

“Are you sure you didn’t pick up some stray beast, sister…”

...beast? Beast!? One moment, Corrin was standing there, annoyed but composed, the next? “A beast?” She hissed as she managed to keep her cool just enough to walk over.

“Takumi… please, sister, he didn’t mean that, right?”

“...right.” He hesitantly responds.

“Liar.” Corrin spat.

“Are you sure that thing is our sister?” Takumi continued, unperturbed.

“Takumi, cut it out!” Hina scolded.

Takumi, like when Hina grabbed Corrin by the arm, found himself on the ground within a moment’s notice, “Listen here, human.” Corrin growled as she pinned him to the ground, a fury dancing in her eyes. It was now that he seemed to realize that he made a terrible mistake, as he started struggling, “Listen here…” Corrin would have continued, if Hina didn’t grab her, “I’m not done with him!” She spits back, “Let go!”

“We aren’t supposed to fight each other, we’re family!” She counters.

“I’m a sister to some human who splits straw humans’ heads?!” Corrin growls and tugs again, but ends up surprised as Hina resisted that pull. “Let… go!”

“Corrin, please listen.” Hina continues. “Losing you has been hard on all of us, but you’re back. I get that you aren’t used to all of us, but just give us some time. We can be a family again!” Takumi has since backed up, held his bow once more, and stands several feet from her. “Sister, please!”

Corrin took a breath, and relaxed herself, to which Hina lets go. “Don’t do that again.” Corrin turns her gaze on Hina.

“Lord Takumi!” A different man yelled, whose hair is in a similar form as Takumi’s, comes dashing in, some woman behind him… with hair like Takumi’s. He also has a sword in hand.

“You! Back off of Lord Takumi!” The woman  **growls** , an expression that almost matches Corrin’s when that danger lurks behind her eyes. A spear-like weapon is in her hands.

“Hey! Wait!” Hina is next, trying to smooth things out, “This…”

“She hurt Lord Takumi!” The woman stubbornly states.

“Who is she?!” The other demanded, “And where are the guards!”

“Quiet!” Takumi finally found his voice, “Hinata, Oboro, enough.” Corrin’s little brother gets up, “Her name is Corrin.” A pause, “And that’s all you need to know.” He picks up his strange bow and returns to face the straw dummies, “Absolutely nothing else.”

“Nothing else.” Corrin echoes. “I won’t be grouped with him.”

“Little brother…” Hina disapprovingly chides, “Corrin is…”

“Are we leaving now?” Corrin interrupts.

“Hinaaaa?” Seta drawls out, “I have an ideaaa.”

“Not now, Setsuna.”

“Let’s give Lupus some breathing room. Some rest.” A pause follows.

“Lupus?” Takumi, Hinata, and Oboro all ask merely a second from each other.

“Setsuna, there’s still…”

“With all due respect, Hina. She needs it.” The Archer continues, “Can’t you tell? Lupus has been getting stiffer as we kept moving, how she continues to fidget, jumpy even. Tensed, angry, she’s getting more and more wound up. Apply anymore force and she’ll fight back.”

She’s… noticed? “Seta’s right.” Lupus agrees, looking more towards the ground than the others. “Too much in too little time.”

Hina looks away for a moment, then sighs, “I-It’s only s-sound, big s-sister.” Saku adds, tapping her staff, “Sh-She’s been g-g-gone for s-s-so long th-that these in-interactions can be too m-much for her.” A pause and in a lower voice, “I don’t want to l-lose her.”

“Alright, alright. I get it.” Hina turns her gaze back on Lupus, “Let’s take you to your bedroom, okay? I’ll be sure you won’t be too bothered.”

Lupus’s eyes scan over the group, “I… have a bedroom?” They land back on Hina. “What's a bedroom?”

Hina’s mouth forms a thin line, Saku looks bothered, even Hana stares at her in disbelief. Takumi and his buddies have returned their attention to themselves…

And Seta looks at her in awe. “It's where someone sleeps, keeps their clothes,” Hina supplies.

“Oh!” Lupus exclaims, “So, like a personal cave?” Her mouth snaps shut after that… Another slip up. Why is this so hard with them?

Hina, thankfully, doesn't press for information this time, and it seems Saku also respects her privacy, “No wonder she is so uncultured, she's been raised like a dog!”

All eyes, except Hinata’s and Oboro’s snap to the source, Takumi. “Little brother, seriously?!” Hina is the first to respond.

“That was a baaaad thing to do, Lord Takumiiii.” Seta drawls out. “Tensed, ears perked, Lupus is angry.”

Lupus took a single step forward, and those other two people near Takumi stand in guard. “Sister, ple…” Hina didn’t get to finish…

Because Lupus gently grabbed Seta’s hand, startling her, “We’re leaving.” Lupus announces, bringing Seta with her. “Don’t follow.” She spits back at the others.

It's not like anyone else understands her, anyway. “Hey, Lupus?” Seta asked as Lupus walked down the halls, with only one destination in mind. “I don’t know where your room is.”

“I’m not going there.” Not that she knows where it is, anyway.

“Then where?” She tilts her head.

Lupus has been following her scent trail back more than anything, especially with the number of twists and turns in this building. Why is it built like this?! “Here. Good place.” She led Seta back to the garden. “Feels like… home.” She mutters that last word. “When could you start reading me?”

“Hm? Oh, you mean your mood?” Seta smiled that lazy smile, “I dunno. When I stopped staring into the sky, and started looking at you, I noticed you had a lot more body language than the others. And after that, understanding you became a lot easier.”

_ “Ears up, tail wagging.” _ Vella called out.

_ “Happy.” _ Corrin responded.

_ “Ears up, tail still.” _

_ “Wary.” _ The two sisters smiled at each other, with Vella’s tail wagging furiously,  _ “Wish I had a tail.” _ Corrin looked behind her and shook her rear, disappointed at the lack of a similar furry tail.

_ “Well, you don’t need a tail for expressing yourself. There are other ways, other body parts you can use.” _

_ “Oh…” _ Corrin nodded,  _ “I’m going to make some up!” _ There was a sudden, huge smile on her face,  _ “You’re right, I don’t need a tail…” _ Corrin walked over to Vella,  _ “I have an idea...” _ Corrin starts rubbing Vella’s fur, causing her sister to start shaking her leg.

_ “L-Lower… to the right.” _ Vella let out a groan of satisfaction as Corrin started scratching a particularly itchy spot.  _ “You are so good at that…” _ Vella lied her head down, and Corrin sat down, before repositioning herself so Vella could instead place her head on Corrin’s lap.  _ “Oh, we’re doing this, now?” _

Corrin giggled as she started stroking Vella’s fur,  _ “Oh, yes we are!” _

_ “Hm, you know, I can easily ruin the mood right now.” _ Vella giggled.

_ “Please don’t.” _ She replied as she continued to stroke her sister’s fur.

_ “I’m going to need convincing… and the place for negotiations is on my back.” _ Vella raised an eyebrow on Corrin, who easily gave in with a nod. Vella turned over, with her stomach now over Corrin’s lap.  _ “Th-there… l-left, a bit higher.” _ Vella sighed as her sister continued to parade her back with much needed scratches.  _ “Mmm..” _

_ “And you told me to refrain from moaning.” _ Corrin giggled as the treatment continued.

_ “Th-This is… different!”  _ A jump in her tone came when Corrin found  **the** spot to scratch. Vella practically turned into pudding as Corrin applied more pressure.  _ “Oh…” _

"Seta?" Lupus suddenly asked. "I'm curious about something."

"I'll try my best to answer, Lupus." She still has that lazy smile plastered on her face.

"Is it weird for people to... rub and scratch each other? Like if there's an itchy or sore spot?"

"So, like a massage."

"Massage?" Lupus echoes. "Is that what it's called?"

"The rubbing part, yeah. I dunno if there's a different word for just scratching an itch." A pause, "Anything else?"

"Could you give me one of those? A massage and a scratch?" Lupus's heart started beating faster, this  **is** a rather... intimate question.

"I can try." With a now beaming face, Lupus scoots over and lies down right next to Seta. "I can't say I'll be great, but here I gooooo."


	8. The Complexities of Human Etiquette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus. Sakura = Saku. Ryoma = Red. Azama = Monkundo.
> 
> Corrin and human things, it is now to be implied that something weird is going to happen.
> 
> bLuewErewOlf25: I'm glad I managed to make some ship-worthy material. So, Leta? Luta? 'N Takumi will come around, he just needs a few moments.

Corrin was panting heavily as she ran around outside of Shirasagi's walls. A huge smile is on her face as she took in the feeling of the sun heating her body, sweat coming down in waves from head to toe, and the winds that rush by hitting her… everything really. She left her clothes off to the side near a lake. Minute by minute passed as she continued her seemingly endless sprint, a stamina gained from the mountains.

It wasn't until she reached that one lake at around her starting point that she stopped and jumped in. "Ah!" Unlike that first lake, this one is much colder and Corrin giggled as she started swimming around. As she looked into the sky, she wondered how the pack, her family is doing. They're okay, right? Corrin's mind jumps from topic to topic as she floats atop the lake's surface. From Keaty and Vella, what treasures they might have gotten, if Keaty is still acting like he 'doesn't like that' even though his tail wags so furiously, whose giving Vella her rubs and scratches. Her thinking goes back to her actual blood-family. Kind and gentle Saku, tough but caring Hina…

Takumi.

All of their respective 'retainers'. Seta's absentmindedness but highly keen nature, Hana's tendency to try and cover the fact that she's glaring, Oboro's and Hinata's outright distrust of her. Does Hina and Saku have a second retainer, too? She wonders if Hina's other retainer is as good as Seta, or if Saku's second retainer is as rough as Hana.

She needs to find a sword trainer.

Apparently, her big brother is really skilled in swords, but she hasn't seen him yet, or his retainers. Corrin rises back up as she looks around, then shivered as she noted that the air gotten a whole lot colder. She walks out of the lake, clutching herself. Even the sun seems to be granting her no reprieve. Corrin blinks her eyes a few times and…

Why is she in the mountains? "Seta? Keaty? Vella?" She calls out. Her clothes are gone and it's cold, she's confused on how she got back and… why is it so cold!? Corrin's walk turns into a jog, then a run, "Keaty? Vella?" It then literally hits her on why it's so cold. "Snow?" But, it's too early. "Keaty! Vella!" She darts through the increasingly frigid winds, trying to find her way back to the pack, to bundle with a fur and get squished between Keaty and Vella. She picks up a scent, and another and… "Keaty!" She goes into a sprint as she locks onto his…

His…

Corrin's legs give out and she drops to the snowy ground. "K-Keaty?" Blood, blood, and more blood. "V-Vella?" The entire den is almost blanketed in a layer of blood, "Alpha?" She looks around, and in the nearby forest, she can see traps that have been sprung, Wolfskin that have fell to them. "I… Keaty! Vella!" She screams, their scents are almost too intertwined with the blood of all the others. "No. No no no no no." She almost missed them and it wasn't because she forgot their scents, she'd never forget their scents. She finally collapsed as she saw both of them, in a situation that she'd never imagine that would happen.

Keaty, Vella, all the others… fur-less, no Beaststones. She raised her head up to the sky and let out the most powerful howl she could manage. Her throat becomes strained as the howl slowly drops, but not in volume, but in its tone. Deeper and lower, less human and more beast. The howl finally ended, sounding more akin to a roar as she looked around and… why are things so small now?

She looked upon the pool of blood, and in that twisted reflection, she saw something looking back that was nothing like her.

* * *

"A-ah!" Corrin shot right up, her heart's racing and her eyes are wide. She quickly clutches at… it isn't cold. The air is warm, actually. Her eyes dart from spot to spot, a garden… that's right. Seta is lying down beside her, somehow still asleep. Corrin sniffed, and noticed she was crying. And how couldn't she? To have that kind of nightmare of seeing her family, the pack… skinned. Corrin actually took several steps and ended up vomiting, as if emptying her stomach will also remove the images in her mind.

A moment later, she reared her head back and howled without hesitating.

"L-Lupus?" Seta finally stirred, thankfully her talking came after Lupus had already finished howling. "Oh… did you," She paused and Lupus heard her walk a few steps closer, "Ears drooped, body trembling… angry?" She guesses as a few more steps were taken, "No, uh…" Lupus rises from her hunched over position and Seta got a good look at her, "Frantic, eyes wide… scared? Did you have a nightmare, Lupus?" Lupus slowly nodded, infinitely grateful Seta could figure it out herself. As thanks, she did the first thing she would do if Vella were here and she felt scared.

Lupus threw her arms around Seta and openly cried. A string of incomprehensible and fragmented words came out of her mouth. Seta smoothly returned the hug and brought them to a sitting position.

"Vella?" Seta suddenly asked, "Keaty?" A pause as Lupus's shaking stops… did she say that out loud? "Were they the ones that raised you?"

Lupus shakes her head, "No-one. Just… saying words."

"Oh, they must be Nohrian words, then?" Whether or not Seta bought her lie is beyond Lupus.

Lupus bites her lower lip, suddenly feeling so horrible for telling a lie to someone who can understand her so well. The only one who can read her and is so… "Seta?" She starts, taking a breath, "If I were to tell you something really important…?"

"Do you want to tell a secret?" Seta guesses. "Would it make you feel better if I shared one, too?" Lupus pauses, then nods. "Um… let's seeeee. Oh! After I was recently chosen to be one of Hina's retainers, I was practicing my archery in the training yard. I missed one of my shots and it ended up landing at the nearby stables. The animals didn't like that too much, and one of them took it as a threat, so they started making a lot of noise. I, uh, left." Seta finishes with a smile.

Lupus smiles in kind, before her mouth forms a thin line. "Keaty and Vella are my siblings. Brother and sister."

"You had names for High Prince Ryoma and Hina?"

"Huh? No." She quickly shakes her head, "They're… Wolfskin." Lupus closes in and drops to a whisper, "In the mountains bordering Nohr and Hoshido. They raised me."

A pause, "Cooool." Another, yet even longer pause, "So thaaaat's how you know how to howl…"

Lupus freezes on the spot, "You heard that?"

"Yeeeep." She still seems as carefree and unbothered as before, "I heard a howl the night when you jumped into the lake, and you were the only one not at camp. I didn't think about it much then, but now that you mentioned… 'that', it makes sense." Yet another pause, "What were you howling about?"

"Sadness." Lupus eagerly responds, "I miss them. All of them. Especially Keaty and Vella."

"What are they like?" Seta tilts her head, seemingly fully invested. And with that, Lupus talked for the longest time that she had ever remember talking. With Seta's help through asking about her life, the nightmare slowly receded until she forgot about it. Seta became a beacon of sorts to her.

Lupus trusts Seta. "Do you have any siblings, Seta?" The two are now walking beside each other, simply walking around and observing all of the plants.

"No, I'm an only child." Seta replies, then proceeds to look Lupus over, "Ready to go?"

Lupus beams and quickly nods, "I am!"

* * *

Once more through scent, Lupus guides Seta across Shirasagi's countless twists and turns. "So, Hina smells spicy and Saku is flowery." Seta comments along the way, "What do I smell like?"

Lupus slows to a stop, "I dunno." She turns around, "Um… if you don't mind…?" Why was she feeling so nervous all of a sudden? Is it because Lupus couldn't simply sneak a sniff in while hugging? That Seta actually acknowledges she is letting Lupus get so close? Yet, once Seta opened her arms in invitation…

That nervousness was still there. Taking a hesitant step forward, she goes back into a hug with her. Why is it so warm? Lupus goes to sniff her, as she so easily did with Hina and Saku. "Well…?" Seta asks.

Lupus realized she had sniffed Seta for far longer than she would have anyone, "Nice." She replies without a shred of certainty, "I mean… uh. You're sweet like Saku, but…" A pause, "I dunno, but I like the smell."

When she finally makes eye contact again, Lupus is flushing and Seta is simply smiling that lazy smile. "Well, when you think of what I actually smell like, let me know!" Lupus slowly nods and takes the lead again. Unlike when they first started though, Lupus ended up making a few wrong turns here and there, distracted as she was by Seta's scent. She had no clue why.

She wished Vella were here, maybe it's a Wolfskin trait Lupus picked up without knowing?

Lupus ended up following Hina's scent trail to a different spot in the castle. This spot had an extremely long table, with so many chairs. Hina, another man whose hair just pointed everywhere, Saku, Hana, and yet another man, but this one has red hair… another man sat near the front, red armor and spiky-ish hair, and finally a woman, at the end of the table. "Seta…?" Lupus slightly retreats into Seta's presence. "Too many new faces."

Unfortunately, before Seta could get a chance to explain who is who, Hina and Saku noticed her… which led to Hana, crazy hair man, and the red hair man to take note, finally leading to the red armor man and the relaxed dress woman to see her. Lupus expected all of the new ones to run towards her, but… they didn't. "One at a time." She picked up on Hina quietly saying, "Take it slow, like I told you all." She…

Hina told them. The red armor man stood up first, "Corrin." He seems to be constantly struggling not to dash at her, "G-gods, it is you…" One step, then another, "Corrin." He immediately grabbed her and gave her a huge hug, "You're alive. You're safe."

"Seta…?" While not completely off-put, and somewhat welcoming the bear-like hug from this man, she still looked at Seta with uncertainty.

"High Prince Ryoma?" Seta gently asks, "A little less tightly, add some space."

"Hm? Oh, right." He gently backs off, "I forgot Hinoka advised me to listen to you…" He mutters. "My name is Ryoma, and I am your eldest brother, Corrin. And I am… so happy that you've finally returned." He offers her a completely genuine smile.

Lupus already likes him better than Takumi. "Ryoma?" She echoes. "Ryoma." Lupus looks him over, "Red?" She turns her gaze to Seta, "Red?"

"Reeeed." Seta nods, completely aware of what Lupus is going for, "Kinda of simple, but I think it works."

"Corrin?" Red looks confused.

"Lupus likes giving nicknames to people." Seta informs him.

"Lupus?" Red echoes. "I don't…"

"Red." Lupus points at Red, "Seta." At the archer in question, "Hina." Across the room to her big sister, "Saku." Towards the little sister, "Lupus." At herself. A pause as she scans the crazy-hair guy over, "Weird?"

"Hm? Oh, Azama? Uuuuh, that sounds a little offensive, Lupus." The two seem to have completely forgotten Red's presence. "Monkundo."

"Monkundo?" Lupus echoes.

"It sounds weird." Seta raises an eyebrow.

"Oh!" Lupus quickly agrees, "I see what you're getting at. Okay, so Monkundo." She then looks at…

"Corrin?" Red asks, "Would you care to join us at the table? Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Before Lupus could even consider answering, her stomach growled, then she sheepishly smiled. Red chuckled in response, "Then come, there's plenty."

Lupus hesitated a half second before following him… they only have so much because they end up wasting a lot. "Seta?" Lupus asked, but the archer was already by her side, gently grabbed her hand, and brought her to the table…

She's so good at that.

Then, of course, came the next big issue. Lupus and the Wolfskin never used most of what's in here. "Corrin?" The well-clothed woman at the end of the table gently called her out… Lupus can practically feel the aura of peacefulness around her. "Please, sit down." She smiles.

Her eyes dart back to Seta, who nods. Lupus ended up sitting next to Seta, who sat next to Hina… then to Monkundo. "What would you… oh, right." Seta stopped herself.

"What are these circle things?" Is the first thing to come out of Lupus's mouth. "And the small pronged thing? The tiny dagger? Some really tiny bowl?"

"See? The people who 'raised' her didn't even bother with basic skills!" Hina harshly whispered down towards the peaceful lady… as if Lupus couldn't hear her.

"Calm yourself, daughter." The gentle lady coos, "Then we'll just need to teach her." She then rises from her seat and walks towards Lupus, "Hello, Corrin." She smiles, "My name is Mikoto, and I'm your mother."

"Hi." Lupus hesitantly greeted, already starting to feel a bit overwhelmed, more with this stuff with the food than the people. "I'm hungry." She quickly states, as her stomach decides to growl again. "Meat?" Lupus averts her eyes from the woman and back to the thing holding all of the other things… including the food.

Not that Lupus recognized a single thing. So, she simply pointed at one of the things that at least remotely resembles meat. "That would be chicken. Ryoma, if you don't mind?" She gently asks as she takes the seat opposite of Lupus.

...Chicken? Yet, that question couldn't be pondered on for a single second when the smell of that chicken came around, "Um…" Lupus started, but then visibly recoiled as the overpowering smell of whatever that chicken has came around. "Why does it smell so…" Lupus couldn't even describe it, "Never mind."

"You n-never u-used sp-spices in y-your f-food, big s-sister?" Saku asked.

"Spices? Is that what is making it smell so bad?" A pause, "Then I don't like spices."

"Perhaps I should fetch an spice-less chicken for Lady Corrin?" The red-hair man next to Saku offers.

"Is there any deer? Stag?" Lupus asked, before he could get a response. "Bear?"

"Forest animals." She picks up Hina commenting.

"We don't have any available, no." The… her mother states. "Would you mind passing the green beans, instead? That doesn't have any spices in them."

"...Green beans?" Lupus echoes. "Seta, what do you normally eat?" She quickly looks at the Archer.

"Uh…" Seta looks the table over, "Actually, here…" Seta grabs one of those dagger things and cuts into the chicken… all the way through. She then splits the whole thing apart and starts cutting out pieces right from the center. "There, the spices should barely be noticeable now." She smiles as she places the pieces on that circle thing and gives it to Lupus.

Another sniff, "Oh! Thank you, Seta." Lupus smiles. "H-Hot!" She felt her finger burn as she attempted to pick it up.

"Oh, sorry." Seta apologizes, "You're supposed to use these." She picks up one of the pronged things and…

"Why?!" Lupus finally exclaims. "Why are all of these things here? Why are there so many bad smelling things in the food?" She clutches her stomach, "I just want some food."

"Lady Sakura, if you don't mind?" It's the red-hair man again, "I would like to get some food for Lady Corrin."

Saku nods, "Alright, i-if you in-insist, Subaki."

"Lady Corrin? Just some spice-less meat?" He smiles at her. Lupus quickly nods, "I'll be back shortly, then."

Her stomach growls again and her eyes dart to the pieces of the inner chicken, still looking as hot as earlier. The mother has since gotten back up and returned to the original spot, seeing as Seta can do better. "So, Seta?" She asks, "What were you going to show me?"

"Hm? Oh." She grabs that pronged thing, "A fork. So, you do this…" She places the points into the piece of chicken and lifts it up. "Then you place the food in your mouth, close, and pull it off." Lupus's eyes dart from the food on the 'fork' to Seta.

"...Seta?" She still looks unsure.

"Hm… open up, Lupus." The Archer smiles. Lupus, trusting Seta, opens her mouth and she puts the 'fork' slightly in, "Okay, now close." She does so, "Uh, a little looser so I can… there you go!" Lupus then finally gets to chew and swallow that piece of chicken. "Well?"

"Too many parts." She replied, "It still tastes a bit bad, too."

"Would you still like some more?" Seta asked and she nods in kind. "Alright, here we goooo." And so the process repeated, until the chicken that Seta cut out for her was gone.

"Still hungry…" Lupus muttered, before letting out a rather… vocal belch.

"Daughter…" Her mother sighs.

"What?"

"It's not polite to burp at the dinner table."

"Why?" Lupus is quick to ask, "Why are there all of these little rules?"

"It's part of being a noble, etiquette is…"

"Then I don't want to be a noble." A silence descends over the table, "I don't like that 'etiquette' thing." Lupus slumps back in her chair. "Chicken wasn't that good, too many spices, too many little things to do just to eat." She continues. "Eating isn't supposed to take so long. No wonder everyone here is so small compared to…" Her mouth snaps shut.

"...daughter?" The mother asks. "Compared to who?" Thankfully, Hina, Saku, Monkundo, and even Hana didn't pry anymore.

"Is there something you would like to share with us?" Unlike Red.

A pause, but before either pressed more, "Bears." Lupus grabbed the first word she could.

"I would be concerned indeed if anyone started resembling a bear." Monkundo finally says something. "Were you expecting us to be fatter? Heavier?"

"Azama, enough!" Hina cuts in.

"I've returned!" Subaki proudly states, "I apologize for the wait, but I had some… difficulties finding the perfect one."

Saku giggles, "Thank you for putting in the effort to find such a good one for her…"

"I'd do no less." He smiles as he places the cooked chicken in front of Lupus… and not a single speck of spice ruined it. He chuckles as drool literally starts to pour around her mouth. "I believe this is perfect for you, Lady Corrin."

"Corrin, please wipe your…" The mother started, but was cut off as Lupus swiped the whole chicken from the table and ran off.

"I'm not letting etiquette ruin this chicken!" Is the last thing they heard her shout.


	9. Thump, Thump, Thump

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus. Sakura = Saku. Ryoma = Red. Azama = Monkundo.
> 
> For what it's worth. In Google Translate, yes I know that is a tool that shouldn't be truly relied on, apparently 'Seta' is a Portuguese word, and do you know what it happens to translate to into English?
> 
> Arrow
> 
> If that ain't a coincidence, then I don't know what is. Behold, the pairing of Lupus and Seta... a.k.a. Wolf Arrow
> 
> bLuewErewOlf25: "W-w-well..." Saku starts, fiddling with her staff more than actually paying attention to her surroundings, "Th-there's a g-good chance something... uh, in-intense will happen!" Her face flushes as she looks away, startled by her own sudden outburst, "Two th-th-things, actually!" She looks to the side, "D-Do I have to s-say anything e-e-else?"

Corrin lets out a huge yawn as she curls around the now-stripped chicken. Without having that annoying 'etiquette' in her way, she quickly devoured all of the meat that the chicken had to offer. She also snapped off a few bones here and there, some for her, the rest for Keaty and Vella, though all of them went into her little bag.

She reminded herself to both thank Subaki and give him a  **really**  good nickname.

Perking her ears up and looking around the castle's garden for a moment, she **loves** this place now, she sneaks a hand into her bag and pulls out a single bone, then begins chewing on it… She wonders how Vella and Keaty would like chicken. A fresh one, obviously… what  **does**  a chicken look like? Is it furred? Feathered? Just skin?

Crunch, crunch, snap, Corrin continues to chew on one of the chicken's bones as she slowly manages to relax into a position more suited for napping. At least she can admit the bone still tastes good, even without any meat on it.

A part of her wonders what the others thought of her sudden departure. Sure, they obviously missed her, they want her back, and they care about her, but how much of that translates to understanding what she wants and needs? Her thinking pauses for a moment, how does Seta feel about it? Corrin finds herself being more concerned with how Seta reacts.

Corrin's ears perk up as she picks up some quiet and distant footsteps… yet when she looks around? No one, nothing. Thinking it off as someone in a nearby hallway. Resuming on her fragmented chicken bone, she takes a few more bites…

And stops as she hears grass shuffling alongside the footsteps. Letting out a small growl, she's standing the next moment, sword in hand, chicken bone in her mouth, and staring straight at the invisible source of the noise. When she did stare, the sound stops. Corrin stands perfectly still, eyes narrowed and ears perked. Second by slow second passed and she was about to finally shrug it off…

Thump, thump, thump. The distinct pounding of a heart sounds out, and she knows it isn't her own.

 _"Some beasts hide in plain sight, pup."_ The alpha once said, as one of the younger Wolfskin came back with severe bites and scratches.

 _"How?"_  Corrin asked.

 _"Color, they can change their body color."_  He paused and lets out a guttural chuckle,  _"Not that it's perfect. We have more than eyesight to track things down."_

 _"Like how Keaty and Vella and me can sniff scents?"_  She scooted a bit closer, absorbed in whatever the alpha will share with her.

 _"There's that, yes."_  He nodded,  _"But, sometimes other scents may interfere with your judgement, so…"_  He crouched down some,  _"Place a hand over your chest, listen and memorize the sound of a beating heart. A frightened beast's heart can give its location away as easily as it's scent."_

Corrin did just that, placed a hand over her chest and listened,  _"Thump, thump, thump."_  She vocally mimicked her heart beat,  _"Thump, thump, thump."_  She burned that sound into her memory…

Thump, thump, thump, the life sound echoes through the area. As soon as another step was made by this thing, Corrin attacked. With her senses locked on to it, and a speed that exceeded most humans, she lashed out. The ring of metal sounded out soon after, as this invisible thing is now, well, visible. The man held a short sword in his hand and is struggling to redirect Corrin's blow.

Thump, thump, thump. His heart starts beating faster, as he finds himself unable to even move his sword arm under the pressure of Corrin. He has fiery red hair, a scar over one eye, his mouth covered with a mask, yet none of that really mattered to Corrin, because there was another detail that triggered a growl.

His outfit is one-for-one just like the one that man had who attacked Vella's group. Pressing her sword down even harder, she hears the blades starting to crack under the sheer force she holds. It seems he noticed as well, as he decides to let go of his sword completely and take a quick step back. Corrin wastes no time following up on the previous strike, yet this time he simply dodges…

His kind are still too fast.

...but she also refuses to be outdone again.

A third, a fourth, again and again Corrin lashes out, closing a mere inch with each failed strike. Perhaps the man is simply waiting for her to wear out. Soon, he's forced to use another weapon, this one in a shape of a star. The sound of metal clashing echoes out once more, but it takes much less time before he's forced back again.

Except this time, instead of trying to hit him with her sword, she snatches him by his outfit and slams him on the ground. The man coughs as his body makes a small indent in the ground, before he now struggles to remove her arm off of his chest. Corrin picks him back up and slams him down a second time, earning sweet satisfaction, the scent of blood. Now fueled by both the rage of his kind hurting Vella and the invigorating scent of blood, she picks him up a third time, but this time she hurls him across the room, with enough force to crack the wall his back hits.

She goes to charge him as he lands, but a pair of arms suddenly grab her… another person she doesn't recognize. "Lady Corrin, please stop!" She exclaims, "He isn't your enemy." Corrin pulls forward, undeterred by her protests. "Stand down." Another tug as Corrin starts to drag the woman with her. "...I see, then." Another shing of metal, then Corrin gasps as she feels a blade pierce her side, yet the strike was shallow.

It didn't take long for Corrin to realize the blade had some sort of sedative coating it. "I… won't." Corrin breathes as she still manages to take a few steps. "I…" The red hair man looks past Corrin, probably to the woman behind her.

"Damn it Kagero, she's still walking!" His voice comes out deep and harsh.

"She's already near the lethal dose, Saizo! I'm not killing her." Kagero bites back.

"And if she kills someone else?!" Saizo readies one of those star things, as it's coated in a sickly green liquid.

"I won't let you. You know how much the Royal family mourned her being lost to the Nohrians." She resolves, now getting in front of…

Corrin lets out another, if weaker, growl as she notes her clothing as well. "Kagero!" Saizo calls out.

"Saizo! Kagero!" Another voice booms out, "Gods, sister?!  **What**  is going on here?" It's… Red?

"B-B-Big S-S-Sister!" Saku screeches as she runs to Corrin's side. "Wh-where's the an-anti poison? Festals can't cure toxins!"

"He'll… They'll." Corrin coughs up as she manages to still stand.

"Daughter?" Mikoto is the next to come in, "Please, relax." She places a gentle hand on Corrin, who jerks away.

"I'm… not…  **finished**  with him!" Corrin growls out as she starts to feel… something?

"Lupus?" Seta's voice rings out, as she runs to be in front of her, "Hurt, angry." She tilts her head, keen eyes scanning her over.

"Not now… Seta." She hisses with that untold danger lurking behind her eyes, the thing better left caged.

"Lupus…" Seta frowns. "You wanted to learn swords, right?" She suddenly asks, "For… them?" The rest are silent as Seta seems to have hit a weak spot on Lupus.

"I do." Lupus concedes, "But, him…"

"He wasn't with them." Her head tilts in the other direction, "We're here for you, Lupus. We all want to help you." A beat passes, " **I**  want to help you. You're a really good friend." Satisfied with her reasoning, Seta smiles that lazy smile.

Lupus spares another glare at Saizo, before looking at Seta, "I…" She then looks away, "You're a really good friend, too." Her eyes dart around the room, "I'm sorry."

"Corrin?" Red reaches out. "Is there anything else we can do to avoid issues like this?"

"Agreed. If there's anything we can do, daughter." Mikoto steps up once more, placing a hand on her shoulder again.

A pause as Lupus thinks things over, "...Mother?" She slowly asks, as if uncertain if the woman who calls herself her mother is in fact, her mother. "I do have a question, actually."

"How is she walking again so quickly?!" She overhears Saizo harshly whisper. "I thought you said she was near the lethal dose!"

"And I'll do my best to answer." The two face each other, Mikoto's gentle and loving smile countering Lupus's forming frown.

"She was!" Kagero counters, "If I did that to anyone else, they'd almost certainly be dead!"

"Things turn to a haze when I get angry and I hear… roaring." Lupus looks away, "Do you know anything about that?"

Now it's Mikoto's eyes scanning the room, "I do, but we're going to need some time to explain it all. Corrin dear, there are some things you need to know about you… and only you." She gently says. "Will you come with mama and hear her out?"

Before she answered, Lupus looked at Seta again, "Yeah, I can." She ends up nodding, yet she still reaches out for Seta, "I want her to come with me."

A beat passes, "I don't see why not."

* * *

Mik… Mother guided both Lupus and Seta across the halls, with Lupus practically attaching herself to Seta. "Seta?" Lupus finally breaks the silence, "Remember when I told you I didn't know what you smelled like?"

"Have you found a comparison?" She smiles.

"Well… not a direct one, but… you smell better than all of the good smells combined." Lupus's voice becomes smaller in that moment, and she ends up looking away, "I really like your scent." A pause, "Seta?"

"Yes, Lupus?" The two stop for a moment, mother stopping shortly after, a curious but happy expression on her face.

"Is it okay if I sniff you?" She breathes, "Like, a really deep sniff?"

"Yep." She casually answers, clearly unbothered by Lupus's clearly un-human-like request. Disregarding all personal space, Lupus shoves her face into Seta's body, trying to imprint as much of even the smallest variations of the scent she's come to know as Seta's. "Oh… hee hee…" She starts giggling, "Lupus, that tickles!"

"I'm… not, hee hee, done!" Lupus too, has started giggling, "Just a lil more." The two have started some sort of play struggle, with Lupus continuously trying to get closer to Seta, and Seta trying to get Lupus away from her more ticklish spots. To Mikoto, it seemed weird, almost concerning. To Seta, that's just how Lupus is. To Lupus…

It felt like she was back at the den, trying to pin down Keaty for a good sniff. The difference being that Keaty would just deny he doesn't like it, even though his tail wags up a storm. Seta clearly shows she likes it, but her ticklish side is getting in the way, well there's that and…

"Corrin!" Mikoto finally exclaims as Lupus pins Seta on the floor to get those last few sniffs in, "That's enough!" Neither Seta or Lupus moved after that final sniff, but instead they are simply staring at each other. The giggling has died down and a heavier breathing has replaced it, but it can't be due to exhaustion, Lupus is far too fit to feel tired after a minute or so of that.

There was another difference than when Lupus sniffs Keaty, it never had her heart racing so fast, it never felt so warm. "Seta?" The archer's face is flushing.

"Lupus." And hers in kind. Thump, thump, thump. Seta's heart is hammering, maybe even harder than Lupus's. Thump, thump, thump. Or maybe Lupus is really only hearing her own. The two remain there for several moments, as if unsure what exactly to do next.

No, Lupus really didn't know what to do next.

"Hold me?" Lupus finally squeaks out.

"Uh… I'm going to need my arms for that first." Seta lazily smiles. "The floor is starting to hurt a bit, too."

"Oh… oh!" At that, Lupus backs off, unwilling to hurt the woman so close… so dear to her. She extends a hand and helps her up. "...Sorry." Lupus looks away, suddenly feeling… she doesn't know exactly. It's weird, a tingly weird. It's a type of weird that only gets stronger as Lupus stays so close to Seta.

She backs off some, taking some of that tingly, prickly feeling a bit. "You didn't mean to, Lupus. It's alright." Seta seems just as put off.

Yet, for some reason, mother is smiling. Did Lupus do the right thing? It felt wrong to be that close to Seta, but it also feels wrong to be this far. It feels wrong to look at her so directly, but also wrong to look away.

Lupus just doesn't know anymore, she just hopes she didn't ruin what she has with Seta.

The three women continued their walk with a new blanket of silence, however this one is born of tension and just… weirdness. Lupus would occasionally flick her eyes towards Seta, but then look straight back ahead. She didn't really feel like holding her hand right now.

But she did feel like holding her head.

Why is this so confusing?! She never remembered the alpha talking about anything like this… there was only mating.

 _"Alpha, what's that really potent smell that comes from two Wolfskin sometimes?"_  Corrin asked at one point.

 _"Male and female?"_  He quickly countered.

_"Uh-huh."_

_"Females go into heat. Males mate with them."_  He bluntly answered.

_"Mate?"_

_"Breed."_

_"Um…"_  There were still a number of words Corrin didn't know the meaning to.

 _"No, there won't be a demonstration this time, pup."_  He quickly stopped that thought.  _"A male claims a female, the two mate, the female bears pups. Do you understand now?"_

Corrin quickly nodded, not because she actually understood, but because the alpha had started to get aggravated. The alpha held no reserves.  _"Yes, alpha."_  And she knew that he knew that she didn't know.

_"Good."_

...But there's no heavy scent to speak of, only this tingling feeling. Females don't mate with females… females can't get females to bear pups. Yet, then why is Lupus associating this tingling with mating? It's something from her instinctual human side, but she never had anyone to reference to in her time in the Wolfskin dens.

She does now, though. Yet, when she opened her mouth to ask mother, she snapped it back shut. It felt… embarrassing to even think about bringing it up. Why? What are these feelings that are suddenly hitting her so hard?

Thump, thump, thump. Her heart is  **still**  hammering, too. Looking at Seta only makes it worse. Lupus has always associated a loud heartbeat with fear or adrenaline, but neither of those describe what she's feeling. She hasn't ran miles or climbed around steep cliffs, and there's absolutely no way she is even remotely afraid of Seta. What  **is** this feeling!?

Lupus almost bumped into mother, as deep as she was in her own thoughts. "We're here." She gives the two that gentle smile.

"Um… Seta?" Lupus spares a single glance, before returning her gaze straight back forward. Thump, thump, thump, "I… maybe… could you wait outside?"

She isn't looking right at her, but she knows Seta is expertly looking her over, "Of course, Lupus." She also knows Seta is smiling that lazy smile, "I'll… return to Hina actually. She might need me. I'll see you later!"

"...You too." Lupus more of whispers than says, before looking at her mother with wide eyes, "So, what did you want to tell me… mother?"

She offers that gentle smile Lupus has come to associate with Mikoto, "Please, come in and sit. This will take a while." She opens the door to a room of sorts, it has a large… square-ish thing on one side. A soft carpet lines the floor, there are a number of smaller lights and other so many little things that Lupus doesn't know the name to, "I should probably start…"

"What's that?" Lupus effectively breaks the solemn mood as she points at the largest piece.

"That is a bed, Corrin."

"And that?" A mirror with a lot of little drawers and small…

"That's where I put on my makeup…"

"What's makeup?" Mikoto sighs… it seems she'll have to quell Lupus's curiosity before she can get to the part where she can explain what they came here for.


	10. Figuring Things Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus. Sakura = Saku. Ryoma = Red. Azama = Monkundo. Subaki = Superman.
> 
> Just because Mikoto hasn't been changing diapers for over twelve years, doesn't mean she forgot how to be a mother.
> 
> bLuewErewOlf25: It seems as if Seta has picked up and used... Cupid's Bow on Lupus.
> 
> HA!
> 
> I can't wait to see where this goes, either. I know I didn't initially plan for this to be a F!CorrinxSeta, but here we are.

After successfully squeezing out every 'what's that?' inside of Mikoto's room, Corrin and her mother finally got to settle down on the bed, which was actually really soft… like, softer than Vella's fur soft.

And she kept her fur really soft.

However, Vella always claimed because it was because she was seeing if any treasure has made its way onto her fur, but Corrin knows better. In those moments, she was almost just like Keaty, denying the very thing happening to her.

 _"You're grooming your fuuuur!"_  Corrin once called her out as she entered the den.

 _"Huh? No! I'm just…"_  Vella quickly shifted to a completely different section of her fur.

 _"Looking for treasure? Sure."_  Corrin openly smiled as she all but tackled Vella,  _"I knew it! You're so soft!"_  Corrin buried herself into Vella's fur,  _"Why don't you just admit it?"_

Vella took a breath, then sighs,  _"Alright, fine. But look!"_ She tried to redirect Corrin's attention with a well-kept furball she just plucked out of her fur,  _"See? It even has a few dead bugs and bone in it!"_  She smiled…

Corrin remained unconvinced,  _"Vella, you can find better treasure than that lying around the dens. So, come on, admit it!"_

She slumped back in defeat,  _"I groom my fur so that my sister can bury herself into my fur more."_

_"And sniff you."_

_"And sniff me."_  The two shared a smile before Corrin does just that, getting a generous amount of Vella's scent.

Corrin blinks her eyes as she finds herself sniffing the bed… whoops. Her mother is giving her a strange look, "Sorry…" Corrin finds herself saying. "Habits."

Her mother raises an eyebrow, unconvinced that is the whole reason. "Are you ready to listen about your heritage, daughter?"

"Yes!" She quickly nods in kind, "About the roaring?"

"Yes, this is related to the roaring that you would hear when you get angry." She scoots over slightly, while Corrin has her eyes locked on her, "Now, as Hoshidan royalty, we are descendants of the Dawn Dragon…"

"The Dawn Dragon?" She repeats.

Heaving a sigh, "Daughter, would you please hold off on any more questions until I at least explain the source of the roaring?"

"Okay…?"

"As descendants of the Dawn Dragon, we have His blood pulsing through our bodies," Corrin looked ready to interject, but ultimately managed to stay silent, "However, some of us have more of His power, some less." Furrowing her eyebrows, Corrin is ready to counter Mikoto again, "But, as for you. His blood pulses so strongly, that you barely even resembled a human at birth."

A pause, "...was I born as a dragon, then?!" She sounds rather excited. "Can I be a dragon now? But wait, what do you mean some of our blood isn't as potent? Does that mean one of our ancestors mated with the Dawn Dragon?"

Mikoto closes her eyes for a moments and sighs once more, "Partially as a dragon, daughter. For the first few months, you had a combination of scales and skin, your eyes glowed a more vivid red."

"Ooo. Can I change into one, then? Is that why I hear roaring? Mother! I wanna change into a dragon!" Corrin has disregarded personal space and is practically face to face with her mother, as overwhelmed by the possibility of actually being a dragon.

"Yes." She smiles.

"Teach me!"

"No." Her mouth forms a straight line.

"Wh… why?" Mikoto gently pushes Corrin back a few inches.

"I don't know how. You are the first…"

"Then how do you know?!" She asks, "If you can't…"

"Daughter, hush." Mikoto responds rather… assertively. "I don't know how to teach you, but I know I can get something that will help you out. A Dragonstone."

"Can I have one!?"

"No." Once more, Corrin's excitement gets cut down.

"Then why tell me?" Corrin narrows her eyes, "That's a waste of time and energy, pulling…"

"On one condition." Mikoto smoothly interrupts. " **You**  tell  **me**  where you have been all of this time."

"No!" Corrin backed off. "There's no reason for you to know."

Gently smiling, Mikoto replies with an unexpected, "Okay."

"Okay?" She repeats, "Then I…"

"No." Her mother is still smiling, "Is it really so much? I gave you an explanation on not just your heritage, but also everything in this room, and I'm willing to give you a Dragonstone so you can learn to shapeshift, but you're not willing to tell me where you've been all of these years?"

Corrin's eyes darted to and away from her mother. "Camping." She ends up saying.

"Daughter…" Mikoto is now leaning closer, that smile is still there.

"...promised not to tell." Corrin mutters.

"And who did you promise that?" Corrin shrinks from her mother's now increasingly powerful gaze, yet she finds herself unable to look away…

Even the alpha has nothing on her right now. "Father." She curtly replies, hoping that would at least curb…

"Corrin, your real father died in a supposed peace meeting. So, did this 'father' have another name?" How is she so good with this questioning thing?!

"Alpha." Another curt reply, but it's now having to do with Corrin wanting that powerful stare to end.

"...Alpha?" Mikoto echoes.

"Can we stop?" Corrin shrinks back more, "I-I don't want it anymore, I just…"

That terrifying look ends and only a motherly one remains, "Shh… I'm sorry, but I needed to know. Here, come." She extends her arms out and offers a hug. Corrin's eyes dart about Mikoto again before she ends up scooting closer and accepting the embrace. "I'll have a Dragonstone for you in a few days."

"...Okay."

"Just, please consider at least telling me, even if you don't tell anyone else. I promise I won't let it get out." She coos while stroking Corrin's hair, "I thought I'd never see you again, daughter."

...But, Corrin already told Seta. How would Mikoto react? Knowing that her daughter trusts Hina's retainer more than anyone else? Seta understands her though, she managed to figure out all of Corrin's body language.

No.

Seta understood Lupus's body language. "I need to go." Corrin… Lupus abruptly pulls away, causing mother to give her a sorrowful look. "There are things I still need to understand."

"Is there anything I can do?" Mikoto reaches out once more, "Please, just ask."

A pause, "Watch. Learn." She simply replies, "Stop looking at my face to figure me out. Be like… Seta. I use body language more than most." Mikoto tilts her head as she looks Lupus over. Lupus then pulls some of her hair back, revealing her ears. "Ears down, usually bad mood." She brushes her hair back into the roughly same spot with her fingers, before leaving.

She… she needs to make sure she didn't lose Seta.

* * *

Lupus wandered the halls, following the scent trail of Seta. She is now really grateful she took the time to get her scent memorized so well, especially with these twisting and numerous corners and turns in this castle. She pauses as she turns yet another corner. Was it okay to just leave mother like that? What about the others? Her family? She stops in place, suddenly stricken with indecision. Why are things so hard suddenly?

 _"You aren't born Wolfskin, pup."_  The alpha told her at a really young age, it's one of the first things she remembered actually.

 _"I'm… not?"_  Corrin had looked herself over. She knew she looked different.  _"What am I?"_

 _"Human."_  He bluntly replied,  _"My pack took you away from the madman known as the King of Nohr. He recklessly shouted about how he stole you."_

 _"Stole me?"_  She echoed.  _"But… then, Keaty and Vella…"_

_"They are what you make of them, pup."_

_"I want to call them brother and sister."_  She resolved.  _"I don't care if we don't share parents! They're… they're_ ** _my_** _family! This pack is all I have!"_

Then he did something she hadn't expected, he started chuckling,  _"There is a determination in you that I like, pup. I_ ** _knew_** _, just by looking at you, that you were different from other humans."_

Did… did the alpha also somehow knew she wasn't fully human? Despite all of the dozens and hundreds of people she's seen since she started this journey to learn the sword, she has never seen another pointed-ear human nor one with red eyes.

Does she even want to learn the sword anymore? Maybe she shouldn't have walked out on mother. If she could shapeshift into a dragon, she wouldn't even need a sword. She looks back in the direction she walked from, suddenly considering if she should tell mother where she's been. One step forwards to Seta, then a step back to mother.

Lupus bites her lip. Seta? Mother? Seta or mother? This shouldn't be hard! It's not like she's going to lose one if she chooses the other. "Corrin? Are you okay?" It's… Red. "You're just standing there."

"I don't know." She admits, still looking ahead of her. "Things are so… difficult."

"Have you asked anyone for help?" He places a hand on her shoulder, "We're here for you, Corrin." That's right, it's something they keep telling her. So why doesn't she ask? She has asked other Wolfskin about things, and she's always turns to Keaty and Vella for help. If she had to, she'd ask the alpha. So,  **why**  can't she ask? Lupus's eyes dart around as she tries to get an answer to her unasked question. What would Vella do in this moment? No, Vella isn't here and neither is Keaty…

She realized that, over the days spent with her family here, that the pain of Vella and Keaty being so far away has been shrinking. She realized that, yes, she does enjoy her time here, even if everything is so new and can be so complicated. That even if they aren't as close to her as Keaty and Vella, that she loves them all the same.

She still wants to see Keaty and Vella again, but it's not like she would run off to see them again. It might be a while before she sees her family, the pack again, but she's actually alright with that.

"Red?" She ends up asking, "What do you like to do for fun?" A smile has made its way onto her face.

"Like a game?" He responds, "I'm… not sure, actually. It's been so long since I've participated in any… woah!" Red exclaims as Lupus ends up grabbing him by the hand and leading him along, "Where are we going?"

"Need to find Hina." She quickly replies as she sniffs the air, "I wanna get you and Hina and Saku together for a game!"

"...and what about Takumi?"

Lupus abruptly stops, nearly causing Red to bump into her, "...and him, too." She turns and smiles, before leading him once more.

* * *

Hina and Takumi are both in the training yard, the former with a lance and the latter with a bow. "Hina!" Lupus exclaims, "Takumi! C'mere!" Hina raises an eyebrow at her, while Takumi scoffs, keeping his eyes on the target. "I wanna play a game!"

"Big brother?" Hina looks at Red.

"She dragged me along with this." He shrugs off the concern, "But, what's the harm? When was the last time we could do something together like a family?"

Takumi's latest shot falters, "...It has been a long time, hasn't it?" The Archer turns with a smile, "I suppose I could spare some time for a game."

"Count me in, too. What are we…?"

"Need to find Saku now!" Lupus cuts her off, dashing off again, with Red doing his best to keep up. Following her nose again, Lupus ends up at the clinic. "Saku!" She opens the door, "Little sister!"

"Ah! C-Corrin?" Saku jumps in place from the sudden intrusion, "And, u-uh… big brother?"

"Wanna play a game?" She cuts straight to the point, "I already have Red and Hina and Takumi!"

"A… game?" Saku echoes, "Like Sh-shogi?"

"Shogi?" Lupus repeats, "What's that?" A pause, "No, wait! I meant like chasing each other around open grounds!"

"Little sister?" Red asks, "Sakura isn't made for long endu…"

"Okay!" Saku interrupts. "Just let me tell Hana and Subaki first."

"Subaki?" Lupus asks, "The man who gave me a chicken?" She scrunches her face for a moment, "Super." She finally says, "Superman."

"Superman?" Saku echoes.

"Superman." Lupus confirms. "Alright, you tell them, I'll pick a spot." She leaves once more, but this time she lets go of Red's hand, "Actually, I gotta do one more thing, I'll meet you outside of the city!" She dashes off to find  **her**.

Seta.

* * *

Unlike her previous near-sprint, Lupus does more of a brisk job, locking down on Seta's really nice scent as she tracks her down. Another realization hits her, and she's thankful she actually had some time away, it gave her a chance to calm down. She may still not exactly understand what she feels for Seta, but she knows that Seta is really special to her. She… wants to make Seta happy all the time! She wants to be with Seta. She really really likes Seta. That fast heart beat feeling is nice, even if it was overwhelming earlier.

Lupus hadn't noticed she arrived at Seta's location until she already bumped into the door separating the two. Lupus lets out a small whimper as she rubs her nose, "Yes?" Seta's voice calls out as the door opens, "La… Lupus?" Seta… looks fine, a little sleepy? Did she just take a nap? "Uh, how's it going?" She smiles that lazy smile.

Lupus isn't sure if she's hearing her heartbeat or Seta's heart… maybe both. "I'm really good!" She quickly nods, "And how are you!"

"Oh, I just needed a little nap. Uhhhhhh, about earlier…?" Her face flushes.

And Lupus does in kind. "Yeah, I'm sorry, I don't think I did what…"

"Hey, it's okay. I didn't know, either." A pause, "But I knew you liked whatever was happening. Ears up, backside shaking, eyes shining."

...She was shaking her rear? Did she always do that when she's really happy? How come Lupus never noticed that herself!? Why didn't Vella or Keaty tell her?! "Well, I wanted to ask…" And there it is, that hesitation, a huge rock preventing her from saying what she wants to say. 'I want to finish that properly', but no, "...if you wanted to play a game with me, Red, Saku, Hina, and Takumi."

No! She wants to find out how that was supposed to end! "Hm? Oh, sure." She nods, "Especially if Hina is going to be there." A pause, "But… having you there would be greaaaaat, maybe even better." A step closer, "You mean a lot to me, Lupus." Seta then does something Lupus wouldn't have expected, she grabs both of her hands with her own.

Thump, thump, thump. Both of their hearts are racing. "S-Seta?" Lupus gasps from the sudden contact, well that and it did just get a lot hotter. "I still don't know what to do here."

"Then… let's find out together?" She tilts her head. "I'd like to know you all the way, every last twitch for every piece of body language."

A small giggle follows, "I don't even know all the things I do." Their faces inch closer, somehow Lupus knows this is the right thing to do. "But, I would be happy if we figured things out together."

"Together." Seta closes her eyes and nods.

"You and me." Lupus mimics her. She could still get every little scent off of Seta, despite not shoving her nose onto her. "You still smell so…" Whatever she was to say was cut off, as an intense wave of… something hits her. That prickly feeling is back in full force, even worse than before.

Then those pricks change to something else entirely when Lupus felt Seta's lips brush her. It wasn't much more than a simple touch, but the feelings that Lupus felt were so… right. For a while, they just stood there, hands and fingers intertwined and lips just barely touching. How long? A minute? A few minutes? An hour?! Lupus had no idea. Time didn't have a meaning right now. All that mattered is the woman in her reach right now.

"Wooooooow." Seta breathes as the two part, her face burning bright, and Lupus knew her own was as red-hot.

Lupus ended up looking away, as that strange sensation left and she was back with that prickly feeling, "So… want to play a game?" She asks.

Then squeaks as Seta grabs her hand, just one this time. "I would love to, Lupus."

"Al-alright… let's go outside." With that, Lupus and Seta walked side-by-side outside. They had a game to play with the others.


	11. Games and Debts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus. Sakura = Saku. Ryoma = Red. Azama = Monkundo. Subaki = Superman.
> 
> I'm taking huge liberties on what humans in this world know for games and sports.
> 
> bLuewErewOlf25: Oh, I'm sure Lupus will be fine, as long as she doesn't get too overwhelmed.
> 
> This is the... first time I ever wrote Takumi in such a 'good' light. I like Kiragi, but I could do without Takumi.
> 
> Oh, that is a good way to picture Subaki. If I were that type of person, I'd reach out for fanart on that... but I'd rather have one showing Lupus, Vella, and Keaty howling at a full moon together.
> 
> She got too excited, things happen. :)
> 
> A-rank, yep. Now to make sure she has better ranks with the rest, first.

Lupus rarely feels as good as she does when she's outside, the wind hitting her and the sun warming her up. Though to be honest, the sun isn't doing as a good of a job as holding Seta's hand is. Lupus still doesn't really know what she and Seta are, but she knows she likes it.

She wants more.

But no, not now. Right now she is outside with her family… and their respective retainers. So… Saku with Hana and Superman. Hina with just Monkundo, since Seta is beside Lupus. Takumi has Hinata and Oboro. Red has those two  _things_. Mother is absent.

...Lupus would still like for Keaty and Vella to join them, but that isn't possible right now.

With her tattered set of clothing on, she begins stretching, "So… little sister, I brought stuff with me." Hina gestures at a number of assorted ropes, poles and who knows what else.

For once, Lupus's curiosity is almost non-existent.

Though, she doesn't know what humans like to do outside, but considering that they all own some 'outside clothing', she'd assume they at least do some running. "A race?" Is the first thing she suggests.

"Easy." Hana smiles, as if thinking she'll…

"Uh, Hana…" Hina starts, "If you're thinking you're about to outrun Corrin…"

"I'm confident in my skills, Princess Hinoka." Hana stands tall.

"I'd be more surprised if Hana ran faster than Saizo's temper." Monkundo chuckles.

"That makes no sense!"

"Oh dear… she's not just physically slow, either."

"Oh, when I catch you…" The Samurai glares at Monkundo.

"Grumpy." Lupus calls out, pointing at Grumpy.

"Why am I called Grumpy?!" Grumpy protests.

"Lupuuuus, try to avoid offensive names, okay?" Seta asks.

Lupus looks Grumpy over, "Hana." She says.

"Yes, Lady Corrin?" She at least tries to look happy.

"Just Hana… I can't think of a good nickname for you." Lupus tilts her head, "Maybe later." She then looks at Hina, "Need to set the length."

"Sure thing!" Hina smiles as she gets two short poles, "So, the starting line here…" She shoves a pole into the dirt, "And the other…" She walks a fair distance away, though Lupus wanted to complain that it was too short… Then she remembered humans aren't as fit as her, so she kept her mouth shut. "Alright, so line up." Mostly everyone joined…

Saizo refused, choosing to 'stand guard'. "Even ordering him to take time off doesn't work." Red tells her. "Now! Let's see…"

Hina chuckles, "Oh, you all are in for a surprise."

"Goooood luck beating Lupus in a raaaace." Seta adds.

"Why's that?" Now it's Hinata asking, "I bet she ain't…"

"She can outrun my Pegasus while he's flying." Hina bluntly states. "I only managed to get to her in the first place because she tripped!"

A silence washes over, before Oboro starts giggling, "Oh, I get it. This is where the punchline kicks in, right?"

"...I'm not joking."

"I'll believe it when I see it, can we start now?" Hana asks.

"On three?" Red follows up. "One."

"T-t-two." Saku says, looking far too nervous to actually run.

"Three!" Hina finishes off, the whole group sprints off, well… Saku is more of doing a light jog and Monkundo is casually striding along. As for Lupus?

She counted three more seconds in her head before she started. Breaking into a full-sprint, she easily makes up lost distance, before taking a single leap over Red and Hana, securing the lead position. She looks back for a moment and flashes a cocky smile at Hana, before quickly covering the rest of the distance and crossing the finish… pole.

"I… wasn't kidding, Hana." Hina states as she crosses the pole.

"Gods, how can anyone be that fast?!" Hana gives Lupus a… jealous look?

"You're jealous." Lupus bluntly comments.

"Wh-whew…" Saku jogs up, red in her face but… happy. "That was fun!"

"Are you okay? Do you need some water, Lady Sakura?" Superman asks.

"Oh, that would be nice. Yes, please."

"I'm impressed, Lady Corrin." Kagero is next, "A three-second delay, too." The Ninja looks Lupus over.

"What's next?" Saku walks up, eyes beaming. "Or this, or anything!"

"Then… again?" Lupus gestures towards the pole, "But...I have an idea." Lupus replies, "Here, Saku." She turns around, "Hop on."

"You're going to carry your little sister?" Hinata asks.

"A-Are you s-sure?" Saku suddenly seems more nervous.

"I'm sure! Just be sure to hold on tight, okay?" With that, she slowly gets onto her back, almost constantly still asking if 'are you sure' or 'this isn't too tight, is it'. "Saku, please. You're really light compared to some of the other things I've lifted up. Feel free to hold tighter, too."

 _"Sister? Sister!"_  Vella called her out as she returned with an unconscious Wolfskin on her back, thankfully he was in his unshifted 'human' form.  _"What happened?"_

 _"I… found him. Poison darts. The sleepy kind."_  Corrin struggled, as one of the darts made its way into her skin as well, but she refused to lose another. The pack already lost more than the 'normal' amount of Wolfskin to poachers this time of year.  _"So… tired, sister."_  As if on cue, Corrin's legs gave out, sending her crashing into…

Vella's arms,  _"I got you, sister."_  After making sure both her sister and the drugged Wolfskin were lied down gently, Vella used her own Beaststone, then carefully picked them both up.  _"The alpha will be grateful… Lupus."_

Despite giving her the nickname, Vella rarely used it.  _"I just… want to help out more."_  Corrin felt her eyelids become heavy, now that the adrenaline of saving her fellow Wolfskin has faded.

"Three!" Lupus snaps back to reality as Hina called off the 'go' again. Though unlike last time, Lupus started immediately, already feeling the added weight from Saku.

"I got you, sister." Lupus whispers as she doubles her speed, fueled both by the need to win and her own memories of having to carry Wolfskin back. This time, she barely managed to catch up to Hana.

"Wow, Lady Corrin." Hana breathes as she manages to cross… first. "Alright, I'll admit it. I'm jealous of what you can pull off." She's giving her a genuine smile for once. "Lady Sakura?"

"You're so warm, big s-sister." Saku has yet to let go, "You feel so nice."

"She has a lot of muscle too, right Saku?" Seta asks.

"Uh…?" Saku seems caught off-guard by the question, before she squeaks and slowly climbs off, "Yeah, I-I guess?"

In her place, Seta walks to her. "Loooots of muscle." She drawls out, a sudden flush over her face as she stands beside Lupus. "Pretty, too."

"Yeah, well… you smell nice." Lupus compliments in kind. "I like your smile."

"Corrin?" Hina asks as she holds up a ball of sorts, "Have you ever played kickball?"

"Kick a ball?" She echoes. "So, what? See how far you can kick it?"

"Well…" She pauses, "Here's how it works…" With that, Hina explains the concepts of everything that has to do with the game, and Lupus made sure she explained it all…

Or else the 'what is that' would never end.

Well that, and Lupus is sincerely trying to not lose her patience, as several times she wanted to point out just how absurd the number of rules are. There were only a few back in the pack: No serious injuries and… that's it, really. Besides the obvious: Do as the alpha says.

Maybe she should try and… 'rope' them into a round of play fighting? They already hone their skills with weapons, but what about their hands? "Seta?" Lupus asks as a few of the people set up the 'bases'. "Do humans… play fight?"

"Play fight?" Seta hums.

"Yeah, play fights. Not really fighting each other and not trying to really hurt each other, but…"

"Oh, like sparring." Seta's eyes lit up in recognition.

"What do humans need all of these special names?" She narrows her eyes. "Well… whatever. Can we play fight next?"

"Uh, well… we don't do that 'for fun', Lupus."

"It wasn't always just for fun. Sometimes there were the more serious play fights where the end changed from simply holding one of the others down to actually fighting until the other submits."

"Oooooh. I understand." She smiles, "Sure, I'll see if we can do that, next."

* * *

Lupus doesn't know what Hina was expecting out of her, but she knows that her big sister didn't get the results she wanted. Multiple times, Lupus was getting a bit too… competitive. She soon stepped back and let the others play, choosing to just observe. That is, until she got bored of that. If this is the 'normal' for human games, then she doesn't want anything to do with them.

Sighing, she walks away from her already relative distant position, and instead travels to a nearby tree. Letting out a yawn, she curls up under the tree's shade, enjoying the outside for what it is. The warmth of the sun, the cool breeze…

Then perked her ears up as she hears a howl in the distance. Her first instinct was to respond, before she remembered that the others were literally  **right there**. Huffing, she drooped her ears and tucked her head into her arms. It's been a while since she has properly howled, and she can feel the 'itch' for one.

She only wishes she had another to share that moment with, so that it wouldn't be a lonely one. But, she's the only one who can howl here. Curling up slightly tighter, her eyes slowly close and she readies to fall asleep.

But then another howl ringed out… this one sounded desperate, needy.

There's a beast in trouble.

Without a second thought, Corrin bolted up and ran off, earning the shouts of some of her family. Lupus ran the plains of Hoshido with little trouble. Less than a minute later, she stopped and lets out her own howl, confidence… just hold out until she gets there. The response is weaker than the last. Lupus resumes her sprint.

She soon picks up the scent of a beast and… fear. Huge amounts of terror. The first thing she assumes is that this beast is facing off against someone with a Beast Killer. Kicking to her top speed, she clears enough distance to get a visual on the situation.

A single man stands tall, Beast Killer in hand, he has cornered a fox with multiple… tails? Three small blue orbs hover around…

Nine-tails. The strongest of the Kitsunes. However, this one is grievously injured, blood pours from his body, it's easy to assume that those wounds would be from the Beast Killer, and if that's true… then they'll never properly heal. Despite Kitsunes being generally aggressive towards Wolfskin, she decides to kill the man.

He is a poacher after all, and the hatred of a poacher is really the only thing binding Kitsunes and Wolfskin. It helps she isn't a beast, so his weapon instills no fear in her. Now with him in her range, she leaps, covering enough distance to slam him on the ground, skidding for a few inches. Two angered arms hold his down.

She may not be as strong as Keaty or Vella in their beast forms, but she's still far above humans.

The man shouted something, but she paid him no mind. She rears her knee and slams it on his spine, easily crushing it. The poacher is then unable to move. "Starve, fool." She spits out. She turns towards the Nine-tails, "Hey, you need help." It wasn't a question.

"You… saved me?" The Nine-tails pants, his form glowing for but a moment, shifting into a man. Unlike Keaty's coarse fur, this one looks softer, it even seems to have its own shine. And perhaps all of it would shine, if blood didn't ruin it. Orange fur lines the majority of his body, with some white here and there. "Th-thank you." He smiles despite it all, "I'll return the favor." He looks around, before gripping his side.

"Beast Killer?" She asks, as she shamelessly rips what little clothing she has to get a makeshift bandage.

"Thankfully, no." He shakes his head, "Regular steel. He was the last one." Due to his beast-nature, he didn't bat an eye as Lupus just went totally bare to get his wounds covered. "You're really good for a human, you know."

"Dragon." She replies, "Part dragon."

"Dragon?" He echoes. "Huh, whaddya know." He chuckles, before coughing, "But, I can't stay, my sister…" He takes a single step, but Lupus grabs his arm.

"Let me help." He stares intensely at Lupus, before giving in with a nod, "Alright. I guess I'll owe you two favors, then." She wanted to say that he didn't need to, but there's someone to save.

And she… "Corrin!" Lupus tensed as she picks up the distanced voices of her family.

How do they view beastfolk?

She didn't want to wait and find out. "Move." The Kitsune nods.

"Do you know them?" He asks as they start running.

"Yeah, but I dunno how they'll take to you." She admits, "Uh, Lupus." She smiles.

"Kaden." Kaden smiles, "Lupus, huh? Sounds… Lupus." He repeats, "Lupus… Nohrian?" He frowns, "Are you alone?"

"I left." She speaks truthfully, no use hiding it from a beastfolk, especially if he is experienced enough to maintain the Nine-tails form. "I don't like how shifters are divided up like this." A pause, "Did your… hamlet? Make it?"

"Just me and my sister." He keeps his gaze locked ahead, "A number of those in my hamlet cracked under the fear of the Beast Killer. I couldn't keep order." His expression turns serious. "By the time the ones with the Beast Killers fell, I already lost too many… my mate included." He stumbles for a moment, but easily regains his footing. "There, that scent."

Lupus sniffs the air, picking up a scent similar to Kaden's. "Alone?" That assumption was confirmed as they reach a passed out Kitsune. She, when compared to the average beastfolk, has a lot of clothes on. Most of it is under the pattern of blue, red, and white with some black here and there. Her fur is as shiny as Kaden's, but it isn't stained with blood.

"Selkie…" Kaden sighs, relief coming off in waves. "Hey, Selkie." He nudges her.

"I don't wanna play right now…" She gripes.

Oh, so she wasn't unconscious. Kaden laughs, "Playtime later, get up."

"Oh… fine." Her ears perk up as she gets off the ground, and then yawns. "Oh… oh!" She gasps, "Hi!" She flashes a fanged smile at Lupus.

"Your brother is seriously injured and you would rather greet me?" Lupus raised an eyebrow.

Selkie glances at Kaden, "Oh, he'll be fine." She waves off her concern, "Besides, it's rude to ignore new people!"

What a strange Kitsune.

"I'm only 'alright' because she saved me." Kaden seriously replies, "I'd be impaled on a Beast Killer if it weren't for her."

"Ohhhh." Selkie… drawls out. "Well, you know how it goes. Gotta repay the favor!" She looks at Lupus, "And since you saved him, I gotta do something for you!"

...Are all Kitsunes like this? Lupus finds it hard to believe that they can make any enemies. "Uh, you really don't have to." She shrugs.

"Corrin!" This time, she can hear the voice clearly, because it's Hina atop her Pegasus, "Gods, Corrin. Uh, oh… um." Her face flushes as she sees Lupus's bare body.

"Kaden?" Selkie looks wary.

"Family." Lupus informs. "They won't harm them, right?" Lupus almost glares at Hina.

"Why would they?" She looks nonplussed, "I saw the poacher's body. Besides, Kitsunes rarely attack towns."

Lupus openly smiles. "Hina, can we get Saku to heal Kaden, then?!"

"Oh, these favors are just adding up, aren't they?" Kaden smiles, but he still winces.

"I'll have Subaki get her here, but in the meantime… I'm getting  **your**  clothes." Shaking her head, Hina guides her Pegasus back.

"I like her, she takes good care of her Pegasus." Selkie giggles. "He's really like, super happy to have her as his owner." A pause as something seems to dawn on her, "I wonder if she'll brush me, too!"

Kaden laughs, "Selkie, we need to repay our current favors before you go adding more to the list."

"Are all Kitsunes like that?" Lupus asks, earning strange looks, "Paying back favors and all that?"

"Mine were." Kaden's expression falls just a bit. "I'm with you on that, Lupus. I don't like how Kitsunes and Wolfskin are separated, but I can't do much about it."

"We tried building some relations with humans." Selkie nods, "There was this town we kept visiting, we traded some of our unique herbs for their items… like this!" She spins in place, gesturing towards her clothes. "It kinda pats my fur down, but it actually feels really nice." She nods to herself. "So, Lupus, what can we do for you?"

...They're really serious about this 'repayment' thing, aren't they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yes, the Kitsunes. There's no way I could write a fic like this without including the other beastrace.


	12. Feeling... Foxy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus. Sakura = Saku. Ryoma = Red. Azama = Monkundo. Subaki = Superman.
> 
> Taking a step back from Lupus dealing with human things, to her getting in slightly more familiar territory.
> 
> bLuewErewOlf25: Oh no, Lupus. I meant it'd be a good idea to have higher support ranks with your family before you end up doing something extreme... like eloping and snagging Seta away.
> 
> No boots, no mounts, no shapeshifting.
> 
> Well, like I said: Lupus is more of lean muscles than bulking ones. You wouldn't really know she's really built unless you felt her body.
> 
> You were taking a 'beast' class to a whole other level. Keaton was the first one I had paired with Corrin... then I had the bright idea of having Kana also being an armored class. I didn't keep him like that, obviously... all of those red exclamation marks...

Thankfully for Saku, Hina managed to return with Lupus's other clothes in hand first, and the first thing that happened after she puts them on? "Oh! I know! I'm gonna get you some  **really**  nice clothes!" Came Selkie's excited response.

"Huh? What's wrong with what I got?" Lupus looks her clothes over, "Well, these are kinda tight." She admits.

"Here, feel this." She struts over and pulls her skirt-like shorts out.

Tilting her head, Lupus strokes the cloth, "Ooo, that's soft."

Selkie giggles, "Not as soft as my fur." With her tail swaying, she also offers it for touching.

Lupus didn't need anymore motivation. "Ooo…" She hummed as she stroked her tail, "Really, super soft."

"Um…?" Hina asked, looking… well, not exactly bothered. Out of place?

"Heya! You wanna stroke my tail, too?" She looks at Hina.

"Uh…?"

"Do you have any itchy spots?" Lupus suddenly asked.

"Nope." She shakes her head, "I keep my fur too clean for that." A pause, "Kaden, are we going back to our hamlet?" And just like that, her mood drop.

Kaden remained silent, an unhappy… "Kaden, Selkie? Would you like to live with me?"

"H-Hold on, Corrin." Hina steps in, "We…"

"Aw, you mean it!?" Selkie interrupts.

"I… have to say, that might be a bit much." Kaden looks more hesitant, "Besides, just because you two accept us doesn't mean the rest will."

Lupus giggles, "Of course they will, my mother's the Queen."

"Corrin." Hina repeats, "You can't simply bring anyone in, there are other people to consider. Not everyone will share the same ideals as you."

"...but." Lupus frowns. No, wait, "Oh, you're right." Even though Keaty and Vella held a lot of similar interests, they didn't share it all. "So, I should ask the others, first?"

Hina smiles, "Exactly. I'm glad you understand."

Lupus nods, "Alright, I'll ask other people later, but keep that in mind you two." She turns towards Kaden and Selkie, who both nod.

"B-Big sister!" Saku comes flying in, whilst holding onto Superman on his Pegasus. Once they land, she is holding her 'Festal' in her hands. "I'm here."

"Oh, hey Saku!" Lupus openly greets, "Kaden needs healing." She points at the Nine-tails.

"A… Kitsune?" Saku tilts her head. "I've… never s-seen one before. Only read about them."

"Selkie has really soft fur." Lupus adds. "Can she stroke it?"

"Of course!" The tail swings Saku's way, who at first simply brushes by some of it, but after she felt it?

"O-Oh, that's… wait! H-h-hold on!" She takes her Festal and channels her glowing things at Kaden, mending the various cuts and gashes on him. With him healed, she turns her attention straight back to Selkie and her fur. "Y-you t-take really g-good care of your f-fur, Selkie." She says as she rubs it.

"I agree." Lupus adds, opting to feel her back fur… which meant getting under her shirt. Not that Selkie minds, as she clearly is content for people touching her fur.

Hina didn't take it the same way. "Gods, Corrin… Miss Selkie, pardon my little…"

"Huh? Do you wanna feel it, too?" Selkie asks, "There are plenty of spots left!"

"No, it's not that…" Hina sighs.

Had Lupus and Saku were not interrupted, they might have simply spent the day stroking Selkie's fur, but… Lupus's family finally caught up with her. The others came in to a scene of the female Kitsune sprawled out on the ground, with both Lupus and Saku constantly rubbing her fur. Hina stood to the side, apparently giving up on trying to get them to stop. Kaden sat next to Lupus, spending that time trying to get what blood was still relatively fresh out of his fur.

"Corrin?" Red is the first to ask.

"Heeey, big brother." Lupus lazily replies, "Where's Seta?"

"It's just us, little sister."

"Aw, she would like Selkie's fur." A light snoring could be heard from Saku's side, as she had slightly buried herself into Selkie's body.

"You guys are great." Selkie speaks up. "Hey, you wanted us to live with you, can I get like, daily rubs?"

"Selkie!" Kaden quickly chides her, "You can't keep asking for all of this. We need to repay our current debts first."

Selkie looks at Lupus, while Lupus looks at Kaden. "I don't mind, I like her fur."

"Wait, hold on." Red interjects.

"Is your fur also really soft?" Lupus disregards Red as she takes a step towards Kaden. "Alright, I have a favor, then."

"Whatever you need!" He smiles.

"Stay still so I can groom your fur. Gotta get that blood out."

"Huh? That sounds like you doing something for me." Kaden looks unsure.

"Well… if I can get your fur soft again, then I can stroke it. I wanna feel your fur, too."

"Then… that's you doing a favor for me." Lupus pouts. "But… if that's what you want, sure." Lupus smiles.

She then grabs his furred hand and leads him on, "Come on, then! I know a good lake near here!"

"A good lake?" Selkie echoes as the other two leave, "Hold on then, wait for me!"

With Saku still sound asleep, Hina and Red share a concerned look.

* * *

Like with any other lake, one of the first things Lupus does is strip her clothes and jumps in naked. Selkie doesn't hesitate in doing the same. Kaden does, however. "Ooo, come on Kaden, she's right!" Selkie swims around, giggling in the water. Soon enough, he gives in with a shrug. "Woo! Playtime."

"H-Hey, hold on! I thought I was getting washed." Selkie stops swimming towards her brother and the two share a look at Lupus.

...Who smiles. "Oh, I'm sure we can get you a bit cleaner if we played around."

"You're the best, Lupus!" With that confirmation, Selkie picks up her speed. Lupus approaches at a different angle. Kaden seems to accept his fate… but then tackles Selkie as she almost lunged on him.

"Not so fast." He smiles, "I'm not going down without a fight!"

"Don't forget about me!" Lupus exclaims as she jumps on Kaden from behind, sending all three of them into the water. A moment later and they all resurface.

"Oh, it's gonna be like that, huh?" Selkie has a mischievous smile on her face.

"We can play rough, too." Kaden smirks.

"I like it rough. Or gentle. Or fast or slow. I don't care which, playfights are playfights!" See, now this is what Lupus wanted to do earlier. The brother and sister Kitsune pair share a look, before they both look at her.

"Two on one?" Kaden asks.

"Ooo, sounds fun." Yet, they both look at Lupus for permission.

"Come at me." With that said, they both spring from their position to Lupus. She barely managed to avoid Kaden, but that's more due to him recovering, Selkie on the other hand? Hers connected and she sent Lupus underwater.

Unperturbed by being submerged, Lupus pushed back up, sending Selkie up, then pushing her forwards. Selkie gasps as she drifts back several feet, surprised that Lupus managed to shove her that far. "Ooo, she's strong." She giggles as Kaden attempt to come from behind.

"I got her." He proclaims as he jumps on her, only to be thrown off as Lupus moved in the same direction, causing him to be easily tossed. Lupus was then tackled again by Selkie, being unable to react fast enough for two.

"Hey, psst." Selkie smiles as she keeps Lupus just slightly above water, "Let's get him, okay?" A pause, "You're fun, Lupus."

Lupus giggles, "You got it." By then, Kaden has already come in for another tackle, only to get side-struck by Selkie, then pounced on by Lupus.

"Aw, come on! Seriously?" Despite his verbal complaint, there's nothing but joy coming from him. "Well, I'm not going to hold back." A flash of light follows and he assumes his Nine-tails form. "Alright, show me what you got."

"No fair! I can't do that yet!" Selkie pouts, but shifts anyway.

"...At least you can shift." Lupus also pouts.

A half-second passes before Kaden charges again, this time it was so fast, that even Lupus wasn't able to keep track. The Wolfskin-raised human was sent gliding across the water. The Nine-tails hopped back as the Kitsune failed a tackle. Speed over power, it seems. With that in mind, she gets herself back up and focuses.

This has went from a 'gentle' playfight to a 'rough' playfight… rough and fast. Lupus never really had a lot of these types of fights with the Wolfskin, as even if she is more durable than most humans, she wasn't so tough as to be able to take a lot of hits from their shifted Wolfskin forms. Lupus scored a glancing blow as Kaden attempted another head-on charge, though due to his speed, it sent him literally flying off-course… he even ended up skipping on the water's surface.

...Wow.

However, Kaden didn't even finish skipping before he already recovered. He then leapt off of the water's  **surface**  and went for another tackle. Selkie intercepted this one. Due to their speeds, Lupus worried for a moment that that would actually end up really hurting Kaden. But then one of his tails actually reaches out and snags Selkie by on of her legs, then he tosses her. Both of the siblings laugh and Lupus follows suit.

Kaden jumps towards Lupus's direction and she was ready this time. She reached out and snatched him by the chest. He yelped, more out of surprise than pain, as his momentum was still high enough to carry Lupus along with him.

...He's really fast.

Lupus likes him.

The two end up splashing their way onto the grass, with Lupus on top of Kaden. "Whew." He has already shifted back, "You're lucky I haven't… recovered." A beat passes. "For a human, you're really good, too." Another awkward pause, "Uh, Lupus?"

She has yet to budge, instead opting to stare at Kaden, with her strength keeping him pinned down. "You're really good, too." An urge starts to come over Lupus, but unlike those mysterious feelings with Seta, Lupus knew what these were. This was something the alpha explained.

Kaden recognizes it, too. But he ends up forcing her back, "Oh no, not that easily." Lupus's eyes flick downward, "It's going to take more than one of those before I choose you."

"Eww." Selkie mock-gags, "Seriously? Mating? Here!? I thought we were playing!"

"Well, she was going to give me a bath…" Kaden looks at Lupus, his gaze is slightly wary.

"Got carried away." Lupus breathes. "Wanna do that now? No playing around this time." He nods, easily able to discern her sincereness. They both return to the water and Lupus begins rubbing the dried blood out of Kaden's fur…

Then squeaks as Selkie starts washing Lupus's back. "You're really dirty back here, Lupus." She hums. "You never had anyone wash it?"

She shrugs, "Didn't care for it all that much." Well, the Wolfskin couldn't exactly spend a lot of time out of the dens.

"Aw… baths are fun!" Selkie giggles as her rubbing gets rougher. Lupus can feel the caked on dirt slowly get forced off. "Wanna wash me, next?"

"...Next time, sure." Lupus nods as more and more of the leftover blood leaves Kaden's pristine fur. "But for, ooooh… right there…" She sighs as Selkie's nails hit an itchy spot.

"Y'know, you wouldn't have these if you kept yourself washed." Selkie chides her.

"B-But… I'm fine. Ahhh, with that. Scratching itches is a good excuse for bonding." Lupus's hands have ceased to work as Selkie continues to give those wonderful scratches.

"I...never thought of it like that." Selkie stops for a moment, "I'll try that, actually. Just a small spot, though. I love my fur soft!"

"Hey, Selkie. I like you." Lupus said… before letting out a whimper of satisfaction.

"Hee hee, I like you too, Lupus." Seriously, how do the Kitsunes and Wolfskin dislike each other?

* * *

With the two Kitsunes and one human washed, they left the lake and are on land with their clothes back on. "So, Lupus?" Selkie asks as she brushes of now-clean fur, "Whaddya make you leave your pack?"

"I wanted to learn how to better wield a sword so I could protect them… all I ever did was disarm traps." Lupus kicks some dirt around, "And now, apparently I can shapeshift into a dragon, but I'm waiting on mother to get a Dragonstone."

"...What are the Wolfskin like? The older Kitsune said they were… uh. Well, savage. No offense, of course."

"To be fair Selkie, I was told the same about Kitsunes." Lupus points out. "And I can't speak for the other packs."

"Same for hamlets. Our daddy always made things nice and peaceful, then Kaden did the same." Selkie looks at Kaden, who nods. "I don't get why we gotta be mean to each other, the poachers are a real problem."

"Exactly!" Lupus quickly agrees.

"Then, what are you going to do, Lupus?" Kaden asks, "After you think yourself strong enough to protect your pack?" His expression is serious, "From what I can see, you want to be with your real family, you want to be with the pack you grow up with, but you also want to mend what's between the Wolfskin and Kitsunes, and you can't do that if you stay with either."

"I… haven't really thought of that." She admits, "Everything was easy until I spent some time with my real family." And Seta. "I thought I was just going to find a sword trainer, learn some skills, and return… but now everything's so difficult." Selkie gives Lupus a concerned look, while Kaden keeps that serious face on him.

What  **does**  she want to do?

"Hey, I didn't mean to sound like I'm pushing anything on you." Kaden assures her, "I'm just curious."

"Yeah, but… I've never thought to consider it. I always thought I'd just go back to the pack." But now? After spending so much time and actually enjoying herself? Her bag even has lost the scent of Keaty and Vella and… it doesn't bother her as much as she thought it would. She wants to spend time with Seta, she wants to be with Keaty and Vella, she wants more time with her family, and she has already taken a liking to Kaden and Selkie.

Why does everyone have to be so far apart?

"You're worried." Selkie speaks up. "Y'know, for a human, you do a lot of things we do for body language."

Lupus nods, "I still want a tail, though." For emphasis, she shakes her rear.

"Hey… wanna know something?" The Kitsune scoots over a bit, "Tails aren't always so great. Even though I've had one my whole life, I still sometimes get it caught in things, and it  **hurts**!" She even whimpers from just mentioning it, "Let me tell you, few things hurt as bad as suddenly having your tail pulled."

"And it also messes with your fur, so you have to brush it again." Kaden adds.

"Oh, don't get me started, Kaden. You remember that one young kit? The one that would sneak up and ruffle tail furs?" She looks at him with a distressed expression.

"Like I'd forget." He scoffs, "I can't count the number of times I had to re-brush my tail fur because of him."

All the while, Lupus's eyes went from one to the other, "There was never a pup who tried that. Playtimes didn't happen a lot." She kicks some dirt, "Especially when we got older, too many threats."

"Aw…" Selkie whines, "Oh! So,  **that's**  why you were so into our playfight earlier!" She looks at each of them, "Hey, since we're almost all rested up…?" She wags her eyebrows.

"I'm not recovered yet…" Kaden takes a step back.

"Lupuuuus?" Selkie sings.

"Yeees?" She smiles.

"Wanna play?" She returns the smile.

"Chase?" Lupus gestures towards Kaden, who now has a rather worried look.

"Kadeeeeen." Selkie's smile turns mischievous, "This won't be fun if we can just jump and catch you…" With that, Kaden runs off, complaining about 'women'.

"Wooo! Playtime!" Selkie laughs as she begins running.

"This better not end in a minute, either!" Lupus follows suit.


	13. Willingly Uncontrollable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus. Sakura = Saku. Ryoma = Red. Azama = Monkundo. Subaki = Superman.
> 
> I gotta admit, I wasn’t sure which direction to take this chapter… At first, anyway, but as I kept looking the other  
> version of this chapter over, I figured it was too, I dunno. It was too idealistic ‘happy’. This ain’t all sunshine and awkwardness. I’m going to tread over some more serious topics sooner or later, buuut this also won’t ever go down a really dark path, either.
> 
> bLuewErewOlf25: Saku, “Please big sister… you just have to feel her fur!” Then, literally everyone else begins chanting ‘feel her fur!’ Hina is afflicted with ‘fear’. Hina gets on her Pegasus and flees.
> 
> Hey, just be glad it’s only Selkie’s fur that is being… stroked. Yeah.
> 
> ;)
> 
> Nah, it ain’t weird. Though, since the Wolfskin and Kitsunes are more beast-like in here, then Kaden’s *ahem* is also closer to his fox equivalent… which also means Selkie would be sporting eight er, yeah.
> 
> Yep. They act more on instinct, ‘love’ doesn’t have a place in the wilds. The strongest mate with the strongest to make sure they can keep living.
> 
> Unless you also use your tail as a weapon, like with the previous chapter… kinda gives me ideas on what else Kaden can do with his Nine-tail’s… nine tails.
> 
> ...I swear, this is going to end up as an ‘E’ fic, isn’t it?

Lupus and Selkie had chased Kaden literally around all the sections in the forest around them, and it was of the best moments she has had recently. Ducking under tree limbs, hopping over the roots above ground, and even using trunks to make sudden turns. The wind rushes by her face, some small limbs and leaves smack her across the body, but she wouldn’t want it any other way. Selkie ran by her side, just as into this game of chase as she is.

“Think we should actually catch him, now?” Selkie asks as she pants heavily, still in her human form.

“Split up?” Lupus suggests.

“Ohhhh yes.” In the next moment, Selkie and Lupus break off, each going to a slightly different direction, they were looking to pin him in a cross-sectional movement.

“It isn’t happening twice!” Kaden  **growled** , tapping into his Beaststone again. His form shifted back into the Nine-tails, and he managed to stop on the next step, before completely reversing his direction. He almost left Lupus’s hearing range only two seconds later.

“You’re just gonna wear yourself out faster!” Selkie shifts into her Kitsune form again, leaving Lupus as the unshifted one… again. It… actually hurts. Being unable to shift was like, the only real constant downside of being in the pack. Selkie sprinted off, leaving Lupus to try and keep up.

But she wouldn’t… she couldn’t. She could win in a test of endurance, yes… but Kaden could probably easily keep enough distance to recover enough with the speed his Nine-tails form has.

It hurts. It’s like how she couldn’t have rough playtimes with Keaty and Vella in their Wolfskin forms, because a single hit could have left Lupus crippled. But instead of strength and endurance, it’s now speed and agility she lacks. She simply can’t keep up with Kaden… and he hasn’t even fully recovered yet!

She too, growls. She refuses to stay so far behind. So no, not today, not anymore. Lupus hears that roar, but instead of curiosity catching her attention, it’s a need. A need to be able to keep up with the beast-shifters, a need to be able to be strong enough, fast enough to be there for them.

The pain of being unable to keep pace feeds the roaring.

 _“Sister! Sister! Can we play today?”_  Cor… Lupus tackled her sister, who remains uncharacteristically stoic.

 _“I’m… sorry sister. Keaty and I need to train today.”_  Lupus visibly recoiled,  _“We’ve matured enough, the humans are getting more skilled, we need to make sure we remain superior.”_

Lupus easily relented, she knew. She didn’t need to be told. The strong survive, the weak perish.  _“...Understood.”_  She confirmed with a nod… but that didn’t mean it hurted any less to see Vella walk off like that. Being unable to help in that manner always hurts Lupus.  _“Because I could easily get killed if I trained with you all…”_  She whimpered.

Drops of water fell from Lupus’s eyes as she ducked under another branch, sidestepped a trunk, and hopped over a root, all in the same swift motion. “I’m not staying behind. I’m not… falling behind again.” She keeps repeating, seeming to feed that roar. “I’m not weak, I’m strong. I’m… not even an actual human. Mother said I’m part dragon. I’m a dragon. Not human, not Wolfskin, but Dragon.” Something changed in that moment. Lupus was no longer weaving around the wooden obstacles, because there was suddenly no need for that. Twigs snapped, trunks were pushed aside, roots were flattened to the ground…

* * *

Lupus gasps, scrambling up off of the dirt… no wait. A… bed? Her breathing comes in rapid as she scans the area. Where  **is**  she?! She sniffs… it’s like that ‘castle’... Shirasagi? When did she get in here? Kaden, Selkie! Did she pass out? She places a hand on her chest, feeling how her heart is seeming to want to burst out of her. Then her other hand grips her head, why does she have such a headache? She then attempts to get out of the bed…

And manages to successfully collapse. The floor comes in to greet her, and she nearly howls from the aches and… why is there blood? She hisses as her midsection is  **burning**.

What happened? Where was she? She could have sworn she was… it hits her. She was playing with Selkie and Kaden, a chase. She and Selkie were chasing Kaden, and… she was getting frustrated that she couldn’t keep up and… and what? Why is everything a blur? Roaring? There was roaring?

Lupus ends up vomiting.

Someone comes dashing in the next moment. “B-b-big s-s-s-sister!” Uh… Saku? “Thank the gods you’re awake!” She feels Saku’s hands over her, some sort of glow and calming feeling from them.

“Saku…?” Lupus groans as she manages to get up with her little sister’s help. “Selkie… Kaden.”

“They’re recovering.” Saku says.

“Oh…” A pause, “Kaden pushed himself too much.” She adds.

“Actually…” Lupus hears tapping as Saku fiddles with her staff, “No, nevermind. You’re right. Just… exhaustion. R-R-Right.”

“Saku?”

“And, uh… you need to recover, too!” She nudges Lupus down, “Healer’s orders.”

...As if that could keep her down. “I’m fine. Tired, but fine. Where are they? Or Seta.”

“Y-You should r-really focus on y-yourself…” Saku ends up sighing.

“No!” Lupus counters, “Saku. What. Happened!”

“Little sister.” Red walks in, “I think you should heed your own advice, you’re overworking yourself.” With a pat on her shoulder, Red nudges Saku out. “Corrin.” He directs his stern gaze to her. “What were you doing out there? With those two Kitsunes?”

“Doing what I wanted to do with you all! Play!” Lupus crosses her arms, “But humans can’t keep up with me!”

“Compared to who?” He presses, “Your standards were set by something else, what were they?”

“Me.”

His stance shifts slightly, “I won’t be able to tell you everything, but I can give you an idea on what happened out there.”

“Really!”

“If you tell me where you...”

“Aw, come on!” Lupus sighs and lies back down, “I’m here, aren’t I? Who cares where I’ve been?!”

“You nearly killed Kaden and Selkie.” His voice comes out harsh. “Setsuna was the only reason we were able to know what was going on. So, with that in mind, you told Setsuna where you’ve been.”

“I…” Lupus flinches back, “Almost…?”

“Setsuna knew the meaning of beast howls.” He ignores her near-whimpers. “It’ll be better if you just tell us.” A pause, “Mother has your Dragonstone ready, and we agreed if you would just tell us where you’ve been, then we’ll give it to you, right now.”

Lupus looks away. Seta was still looking out for her… even if it meant her secret was in danger. Even Seta knew it shouldn’t stay a secret. “Nohr.” She finally admits. “The alpha told me he took me from the King of Nohr. His pack raided the caravan, only the King and me lived, but he took me with the pack. Said I was different.”

“The pack?” He echoes.

“Wolfskin. I lived with my family, the pack. The alpha, Keaty and Vella, my brother and sister. I know what I know from them… I loved them all. But, poachers were so persistent, and I ended up finding out I was good at disarming traps. So that’s what I did… but then I was with Vella’s group one day, and I couldn’t even defend myself from a single human…”

“A Ninja, I’m assuming.” His eyes light up, “Which is why you had such a violent reaction to Saizo.”

She nods, “So, I told the alpha I wanted to go out and learn how to use the sword, so I could return and properly be able to defend them.” Her gaze returns to Red, “There, you know. Please, please don’t send anyone after them. I promised not to tell, I don’t want them hurt, I…”

“Why would we?” He asks. “I… might not agree with their methods, but you’re alive, safe. You care, you love, and they even let you leave when you expressed the desire. Sister, things could have turned out so much worse. Gods only know what would have happened if King Garon actually finished his trip with you. He could have used you as a bargaining chip, he could have had you beaten, but none of this happened. This alpha and his pack, they kept you safe.” Red smiles and places a hand on her shoulder, “I promise you, no harm will come to them as long as we have a say in it.”

Lupus’s eyes lit up, “Thank you…” She gives him a sturdy hug… enough to actually keep him from getting a proper amount of air in, but he lets slide… this time. “Big Brother? Can I go see Selkie and Kaden?” She needs to apologize… She really hopes she didn't lose them from this.

* * *

Red guides Lupus to another room, where the two Kitsunes were resting, and yeah, she can easily tell they’ve just been through something huge, despite any wounds that could have been are closed. Lupus’s chest tightens as the fact registers that  **she** put them in this situation. The two lie near-naked, though if they were bloody, they don’t look it now. A hesitant step forward, then another. She gulps, “K-Kaden? S-Selkie?” She gently calls out.

While Selkie remains still, Kaden’s ears twitch. “Wolfskin.” His voice has an understandable amount of venom. “Is that the tactics you were taught?”

She stops and keeps her distance. “I… didn't know. Mother told me I could shapeshift into a Dragon and…”

“You did it without a Dragonstone.” His growl comes out weak. “Did your ‘pack’ ever tell you the dangers of shifting without a Stone?”

“No…” She turns away, despite him not even looking at her. “You're gonna leave, aren't you?” She didn't need a response, it's in his body language…

Betrayal.

“My sister and I are all that's left of the hamlet, so what was running through your head when you wanted to shift?” He turns towards her, though she is still looking away. “Or did your pack teach you more than you let on?”

“...I wasn’t good enough.” Lupus mutters, “I wasn't strong enough to play rough with the Wolfskin… I'm not fast enough to keep up when you were shifted… And I'm sick of being so far behind! I'm like, right in the middle! Better than a human, but weaker than a shifted Wolfskin or Kitsune! Don't you understand how much that hurts me?”

That seems to have killed off Kaden’s aggression. “Oh, I… didn't think about it like that.” He backs off, losing himself in the blankets… Even though his fur is probably providing more warmth and comfort than them.

“...Kaden, I just wanna know, can we still at least be friends?” Lupus reaches out, getting his attention.

“Better off asking Selkie.” He turns away, “None of this changes the fact you willingly shifted without your Stone, after all.”

“Oh, alright… uh, sleep well then, Kaden.” A short pause, “I’m really sorry…”

“...Thanks, Lupus.” He seemed to ignore her attempt at an apology. With ears drooped, Lupus left their room.

She nearly  **killed**  them! Tears form in her eyes as she went over the accusations from Kaden… which were true. Well yeah, she might have never been told about the dangers of shifting without a Stone, it should have been implied. She almost  **killed**  them, and she can’t even remember it! Lupus backs up against the wall, ashamed of herself. She willingly fed that roar, she wanted to experience being a dragon…

How was she to know she would lose control?

“Sister?” Red asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. “How are  **you**?” Concern lines him.

She lowered a hand to her midsection, where the aching and pain is the worst. “I wanna see Seta now.”

He hesitates, and she can get the sign of… disappointment? What was he expecting her to do? She  **wants**  Seta! “Alright, if that’s what you want.” Still, he leads her.

“...What happened? To me.”

“You were out of control, sister. We had to… wear you down, and after enough time, you collapsed, before turning back into a human.” Now being able to see him at a different angle, she can see he suffered some pretty bad scratches himself, since there are some holes in his armor, and scars lie beneath that.

“Re… big brother?” She asked, causing him to stop, “I’m sorry.” She hesitates for a moment, “I’d never want to cause you all any harm but I was getting so tired of always being behind on a lot of things and I wanted to be better so I could defend the people I care about more because I love my family and I love the pack and Keaty and Vella and I already really like Kaden and Selkie and I just want everyone to be together and be happy but…” Her rant continued into a more of a string of incomprehensible words as tears started streaming down.

“Hey, little sister.” That… didn’t sound like Red. No, it’s… Hina? “We’re here for you, alright?”

“Sh-She’s right!” Now it’s Saku, “Pl-please don’t cry. I-If we can h-h-help, then we w-w-will!”

“Sister, if the source of your current grief had a physical form, then you bet I’d be the first to fire at it.” Takumi, too.

“You're not alone, sister.” Now it’s Red. “We’re your family, there’s little we wouldn’t do for you.”

“Aw… what’s gotten my dear daughter down?” And to finish it off, Mikoto arrives. “Shh, don’t cry.” She slightly lowers herself, a necklace of sorts in her hands. “Here.” She smiles as she brings it around her neck, clicking some sort of piece behind her, a sudden surge of… peacefulness covers Lupus. “Keep this safe, okay? It’s your Dragonstone. I promise, as long as it’s with you, this won’t ever happen again.” In response, Lupus wraps her arms around her and she returns the hug…

Then Saku joins in, and Hina, then Red, and... “Oh, come on, little brother. One family hug won’t hurt you.” Hina calls him out.

“I suppose you’re right.” He remarks before he too joins in.

“I love you all so much…” Lupus whimpers as she is practically smothered by everyone… but it’s the good kind of smothered. The same kind whenever it got really cold in the dens, then Keaty and Vella would smush her between their furs.

Emotionally and physically drained, by the time the hug dispersed, Lupus already fell asleep in her mother’s arms, a peaceful smile on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it went from slightly light-hearted, to a relatively troubled part, and ending with a nice fluffy bit filled with family warmth.
> 
> That just leaves this: Taking into consideration how well Ryoma, er, Red took that information. How much different would it have been if Lupus did, in fact, tell them where she's been from the start?
> 
> Also, I hope that Red's reasoning for his acceptance came out natural enough. It makes sense to me... but that doesn't necessarily means it makes sense to everyone else.


	14. Leta Have a Moment Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus. Sakura = Saku. Ryoma = Red. Azama = Monkundo. Subaki = Superman.
> 
> The others are, at least as of now, nickname-less. Buuut, just give Lupus some time, I’m sure she’ll think of one later.
> 
> bLuewErewOlf25: Oh… oh dear. Uh-huh, I already have a few ideas… and, whew Kaden will be able to do a lot, yeah um… it just got hot in here. Let’s get a digital artist up in here and help visualize those scenes later… If there were some rated ‘A’ version of Fates and they had characters use their traits and abilities to the max like that? Gimme Kaden n Selkie with their Nine-tails form.
> 
> I am going to judge you, and I do so as… I completely support you. I love beast-races and furries and scalies, but I also prefer them anatomically correct… That’s right, I can’t get into, er, stuff with characters like Kaden or Keaton if they don’t look like their real-life counterparts.
> 
> One two, let’s go slow. Three four, stroke my fur. Five six, go have sex. Seven eight, close that reinforced gate. Nine ten, screw the rhyming and don’t get TRAMPLED!
> 
> Glad I chose Red, then.
> 
> I dunno, if Lupus can entice Kaden by showing off how good of a choice she is for a mate, it won’t take much.
> 
> Huh, I forgot to add what’s going on with Azura on Ao3… whoops. Alright, so in canon, the Hoshidans took Azura because Corrin’s defenses were too tight… and please do (not) take that out of context, right? Well, since Corrin was absolutely nowhere to be found, I would think that they wouldn’t bother with taking Azura this time. So, she’s still over in Nohr.

Lupus wildly giggled as she ran to and fro, doing all she could to stay just right out of Vella’s insistent grasp. Lupus did and didn’t want to be caught. On one hand, it’d mean she would get a very desired itching fulfilled, but on the other she enjoyed seeing Vella so wound up trying to pin her ‘crazy’ sister down. So, after the third trip-up, Lupus turned the tables and pounced on Vella instead. “H-Hey!” The Wolfskin cried out, “Not fair.  **I**  am supposed to catch  **you**!”

Already pressing down with her whole body, Lupus lies down on top of the prone Vella, mimicking where her body is… except her tail, of course. “Well, it’s not fair that I don’t experience all the things the others can.” Lupus starts idly picking through Vella’s fur. “Oh, by the way, have you ever been through it yet?”

“It?” She echoes.

“Y’know, the thing with the heat and the…”

“Going into heat?” Vella interrupts her. “Why are you so interested in it?”

“‘Cause I kinda wonder what it feels like. Not the heat part, but being with…”

“Alright, stop.” Vella cuts her off again, “Let’s make this clear. It doesn’t matter what the female feels...”

“It’s about what the male feels, I know.” Lupus plainly states, “But that doesn’t answer my question.”

“How it feels to be mating?” Vella manages to turn over, flipping Lupus off of her back, so now that the two are face to face, with Vella’s eyes narrowed.

Lupus ‘booped’ Vella’s nose with her own. “Yeah, actually.” No shame at all, it’s only natural.

Vella bites her lip, and she clearly starts to think on it herself, “I’d imagine he’d hold you down.”

“Asserting dominance.” Lupus nods. “Biting?”

“Biting.” A pause. “Sister?”

“Yeeeees?”

“Why don’t you go ask Keaty?” She, of all things, wags her eyebrows…

“No way!” Lupus huffs and scoots back, “I don’t care if we aren’t actually blood-related, we are still…”

“If you displayed interest, I doubt he’d deny…”

“Nope. I’m done!” Lupus rolls over, gets up and walks off, “Nevermind, I’m not interested.” Then she stops mid-step, turns around and walks back… she then flashes her ‘puppy’ eyes on her sister.

Vella laughs, “Lay down and I’ll take care of that itch.”

* * *

Lupus blinked her eyes, willing the intense light away. She then yawns and stretches. She hasn’t woken up so relaxed in a while. “Vella?” She asks, before remembering that she isn’t in the den…

But that dream was so real.

Slightly crestfallen, Lupus gets up, only to feel the air hit her…

Why is she naked? She looked her body over again, then pinched herself. Nope, wide awake. Well, it’s not like she minds so much… it has been a while since she’s seen herself in her full glory, after all. And what else just so happens to be in this room?

A mirror.

Remaining stark naked, she walks over to the mirror, seeing the number of scars that she has gotten over the years. Most of them can be split into either a failed trap disarmament… or the ‘rough’ playtime with Keaty and Vella. There are a few new ones, however, and none of them she recognizes…

Those must be the ones where her family had to subdue her…

Frowning, she returns to bed, no wanting to deal with those thoughts again. She… she nearly  **killed**  Kaden and Selkie, and now they’re going to leave.

She wants Seta back. Where’s Seta?! No wait, she wants Kaden, no… Who does she want? She wants to feel more of the ‘love’ feeling from Seta. She wants to finally be able to feel ‘mating’ with Kaden. She wants to have Keaty and Vella again. She wants her family…

She wants everyone to be at peace with each other so she  **can**  have all of that.

“B-Big si… AH!” Saku squeaks as Lupus hears her drop something. “I-I-I-I h-h-have your cl-cl-cl-cl-clothes r-r-r-r-ready.” She steps out and closes the door, leaving a set of clothes behind.

...Lupus still can’t understand what’s wrong with being bare. It’s so… liberating.

Shrugging off Saku’s behavior, Lupus walks over and looks over at whatever movement limiting… “Ooo.” Lupus smiles as she picks up the very ‘open’ clothes. She gasps, “ **And**  it’s soft!” Then she sees something she personally never wore before, though she did recognize what it is. “A bra.” But of course, since she never used one, she doesn’t know how to put it on…

So, she did the next logical thing, and threw it on the bed. Besides, it’s not like her breasts are  **that**  noticeable… right? Are they? Pausing while looking over her clothes, she carries them while looking herself in the mirror again. Wait, hold on… why is she concerned about this in the first place? Vella and the other females didn’t care, so Lupus naturally didn’t care either. There were days, especially the ones who recently had pups, to have their nipples on full display, but it’s natural, so there was nothing wrong with it…

Humans are weird.

Lupus glances at the discarded bra, then her breasts, then turns and observes herself in the mirror. Ultimately… she still shrugs it off and puts the clothing on without the bra. If she  **really**  needs to put that on, she’ll ask… no, not Saku, she’s obviously too timid. Hina, maybe? For some reason, the thought of asking Seta sends shivers… she’ll stick with asking Hina, then.

Let’s see… a sleeveless shirt that doesn’t exactly reach her waist. Lupus stops the inspection right there, and realizes exactly  **why**  they got her a bra in the first place… Well, since they aren’t, uh, ‘contained’, it’s making the shirt unable to go all the way down.

Oh well. She likes how the cloth feels, so she really doesn’t see a need.

Going down, her shorts provide a snug and not-so-limiting fit… She might have also discarded the offered undergarments, deeming them as too tight. However, it was then that Lupus realized there was something else she didn’t put on. Narrowing her eyes at the offending ‘shoes’, she kicks them under her bed. “All done.” She smiles. So what if she didn’t put on half the clothes? She never really wore them her whole life and she isn’t going to start now… especially those ‘shoes’.

Stepping away from the mirror, she goes towards the door and opens it, ready to go out and see her family… and Seta… hopefully Kaden and Selkie are here and alright. Sniffing the air, she tries and make out Seta’s scent from the rest. Lupus frowns as she realizes Seta didn’t travel around this area recently. So, Lupus decides to track her down…

It’s been a while since she’s done something of that sort, anyway. So, the first question is where should she start? Considering that Seta is Hina’s ‘retainer’, maybe she should follow Hina’s scent first? Nodding to herself, Lupus instead focuses on that spicy smell she associates with Hina and follows that. She walks the hallways, completely ignoring all of the decorations that lie on the walls, the high-quality rugs and carpets, the intricately designed stones and windows…

It’s all a waste anyway.

Turn by turn, Lupus can tell she’s getting closer and where does she end up? The training yard. Hina and Takumi are both out there. Lupus reminds herself to get a proper nickname for Takumi. Unfortunately however, it seems Seta isn’t out here. Well, none of the ‘retainers’ are. What’s even worse, though, is that she still can’t pick out Seta’s scent. Weird.

“Oh, hey sister!” Hina calls her out before she can make her exit. “Perfect timing, I wanted I ask you…” She pauses as Lupus decides to walk in.

“What’s wrong?” She obviously asks.

“You… did put on all of the clothes, right?” Hina indirectly asks.

“Nope.” She proudly states. “I never liked shoes, I don’t know how to put on a bra, and the undergarments were too limiting.”

“Gods help her.” Takumi sighs. “My big sister is half-naked.”

“The rest of the clothes are nice, though. So, thank you!” Lupus smiles. “So, what did you want to ask me?”

After Hina clears her throat, “I was hoping to see what else you could do. Well…”

“Oh fine, I’ll say it, then.” Takumi rolls his eyes as Hina expresses her discomfort, which he ignores, “She wanted to do that… playtime like you did with the Kitsunes.”

“You do!?” Lupus shows off her excitement.

“Uh, not right now…” Hina quickly states, “You still need your Dragonstone, anyway.”

“Oh, it’s alright. We won’t do it rough and fast. I’ll go slow and gentle on you.”

“...And she’s completely oblivious to the innuendos that has.” Another sigh from Takumi.

“Innu… endo?”

“Double meanings.” He simply supplies.

“Oh… Oh!” It dawns on Lupus. “I meant for playtime! Females can’t mate.”

“That’s… not. Ugh, nevermind.” Wielding his bow, he turns his attention to the dummies, muttering something about a ‘weird’ sister.

“So… what kind? The chasing part or the actual fighting part? Or both?” Lupus has the distinct feeling she’ll have to go easy on Hina. Like… really easy.

But, who knows. Maybe Hina will surprise her? “I’ve seen you run, sister… so the one that is like sparring?” She gestures towards a ring of sorts, “Are you sure you’ll be fine without your Dragonstone?”

“Of course! It’s not like I’ll have to give it my all.” The way Lupus smiling confidence came out bothered Hina. The Wolfskin-raised human wonders if Hina is trying to imagine just how strong her sister is. “So…” she starts as they enter the circle, “I’m assuming we aren’t supposed to leave this?”

“Yep.”

“Why?” She tilts her head, “Real fights don’t happen in circles.”

“True, but for one: There are other parts to the training grounds besides sparring, so we need to make sure there’s room for it. Two, it helps the sparring partners to focus on each other.”

“Oh, that makes sense. The pack didn’t have so many ways to fight.” Lupus honestly can’t count the number of times the grounds were used as a huge playfight arena. Sometimes the fights even extended to the forests around them. “Ready?” She eagerly asks.

“You… aren’t going to get a weapon?” She asks as she grabs a wooden spear.

...She was going to learn how to use a sword, but… “I’ll be fine.” She flashes that confident smile again.

“Alright, it’s your disadvantage.” Hina tries to shrug it off, but Lupus can tell she’s unnerved by it. “On three. One, two, three!” Hina takes the first strike, any earlier hesitation is completely gone. She goes to take a slice at Lupus…

Who easily ducks under it. Maybe Hina should have picked up something lighter? “Oof.” However, Hina seems to have taken advantage of Lupus’s overconfidence, and scores a glancing blow on her side. In retaliation, Lupus snaps through the lance’s shaft with her hand, sweeps a leg under Hina, grabs her mid-fall, then pins her to the ground.

Hina’s mind only registered her lance being broken by the time Lupus was over her. “Another round.” She states, a fiery determination in her eyes. “That won’t happen again.”

“Alright.” Lupus gets off of Hina, “Sure you still want a weapon? It really slows you down.”

“People don’t fight battles with their fists, sister.”

“She’s going to keep wiping the floor with you if you don’t get faster!” Takumi calls out from his spot.

“Oh, it’s easy to talk big when you aren’t the one sparring her!” She shouts back, “Now, come on! I’m ready!”

“...Body is too stiff.” Lupus points out as Hina takes a rather… bad unarmed stance. “Don’t root your feet so deeply. Need to be able to move quickly.” Blinking, Hina seems to think it over. “No, don’t do that either. Thinking slows you down.

“Well yeah, I know that. It’s why we do repetition, so we know what to do in a given situation.”

“Don’t clench your hands so hard, you need to be ready to grab, as well.”

“Anything else?”

“Don’t blink.” She smiles.

“Huh… ah!” In that moment, Lupus closed the distance between them, grabbed Hina, before pinning her to the ground again. “Aw, come on! The match didn’t even start yet.”

“And be ready for a fight at any moment.” Lupus seriously states, “Things aren’t fair… people die if they aren’t always ready to defend themselves… already lost enough of the pack because they didn’t follow that. Poachers won’t wait for a Wolfskin to shift.” She gets off of Hina again.

“It was really that rough back then?” She asks as she gets up.

“Yeah…” She nods. “Few things hurt more than seeing a skinned pack member.” In that moment, the air became tense and thick. Lupus even found it a bit harder to breathe. “Doesn’t matter how long we knew them, losing one is always painful. It weakens the pack, the rest have to make up for the loss.” She shivers as she visualizes the first time she saw one of the pack suffer that fate. “It was one of those traps with the sharp edges like a big mouth. He was one of the younger ones, first time on his own. Poacher was already there, and the trap had some sort of poison that immediately kept him from howling. I was on my trap-disarming route when I found him…” Tears start to fall, “The only fur left was around his ankle, the rest was skinned off. Poacher didn’t even bother to kill him beforehand. He was  **alive**  during that! Pinned down to the ground and  **skinned**.”

“Gods…” Hina looks sick and Lupus hears Takumi gag.

“Told me to go ahead and kill him. Told me how much the air burned, how the grass…” She stops, “I understood, and he didn’t even get the time to describe it before I stopped him from feeling more pain. It hurt, but it was for the best.” She kicks some dirt around. “He wasn’t the only one I ever saw…”

“That’s just…”

“Terrible? Horrifying?” Lupus interrupts, “It’s a reminder to stay alert is what it is. The mountains were never safe from poachers, regardless of how dangerous the area around a den is. It’s why I was so valued, traps were easy for me. But I couldn’t defend myself well.” Lupus eyes bore right into her sister, “Hina, I might be strong to you, but I lacked the means to kill quickly. I didn’t have anything to easily pierce a wild beast or poacher. If I wasn’t in a position to ambush them or close the distance quick enough to twist their neck, then all I could do is run away.” A pause, “Even when the alpha ordered to get a sword for me, even when the pack got one, it only helped a little bit. I had no idea on how to use one and there was no one to train me.”

“Which is why you want to learn how to wield a sword so badly? Enough to leave them?”

“I’m not  **leaving**  them!” She snaps back, “It wasn’t easy, Hina! I worry for them. What if it is  **my**  skill in disarming traps is what they really needed one day?! What if I return and they are dead? Skinned? Gone!?” Lupus physically trembles as that nightmare comes back, “Pools of blood, no Beaststones, no fur… no Keaty, no Vella, no…” Whatever Lupus had to say was cut off as Hina pulled her into a tight hug. “Tighter… please. It won’t hurt.”

There was a short delay, but Hina complied. “If that’s what makes you comfortable.”

“I miss them. I miss Keaty. I miss Vella. I miss those cold nights where they would cuddle up next to me. Where they would squeeze me between their furs. Vella would reach out and wrap her arms around me, even while she was still sleeping. Keaty would scoot back and press his body on my other side, and he was still sleeping. I miss how Keaty always denied what he was currently enjoying, how he always made excuses to why his tail was wagging. I miss getting and receiving scratches and scent-trading with Vella. I miss getting and giving them the treasures I found. I miss it all, the good and the bad. I miss them so badly…”

Hina remained silent through it all, perhaps she just didn’t know what to say? Neither did Takumi. All that Hina offered was that one simple, tight hug. But, then again, that’s all Lupus really wanted.

* * *

There weren’t anymore sparring matches. Lupus didn’t feel like having playtime. So, after that much needed hug from Hina, Lupus simply asked where Seta was. Perhaps Hina wanted to spend more time with her, but she ultimately complied and guided her to the woman she has feelings for…

That foreign thing called ‘love’. Not the familial love she has for Keaty, Vella, and her family, but a different kind of love. The pull that Lupus feels, a pull that only Seta has… a pull that even Kaden didn’t have when she felt the urge to mate.

Again, she wonders how Kaden and Selkie are doing… she should visit them later.

So, where did Hina end up taking her? None other than her favorite spot. Seta is sitting down on the grass in the garden, content with simply looking skyward. “I’ll uh… give you some space.” Hina offers.

“Hey, Seta.” Lupus smiles as she takes a spot next to her…

And that prickly feeling came back, catching Lupus’s breath and preventing her from looking right at Seta’s face. “Heeeeey, Lupus.” Seta scoots over. “Sky’s pretty, isn’t it?”

“Yeah… but it’d look better if it was nighttime.” She admits… but she also thinks Seta looks better than even the nighttime sky. “Hey, Seta?”

“Hm?” She hums in response.

“Do you also get that prickly feeling? When we’re like, this close?” Lupus feels some sweat forming, despite not having run for miles… she’s actually been relatively lazy since getting here.

“Yeah…” She scoots another inch or so closer. “But, I also like that warm feeling when we’re close. So, I focus on that instead.”

Lupus doesn’t need to look to know that she’s looking at her now. “I didn’t think to do that.” She admits, “Wolfskin don’t feel that, this I mean. What I feel for you. There is no advantage for having two women together in the pack.” A pause, “Thank you. For knowing when to tell the secret.”

“I want you to be safe, Lupus. Honestly, I was worried you’d take it the wrong way.”

“Nah… You always seem to know what to do what’s best for me.” Lupus can feel that flush forming again, and the prickly things come back stronger, but this time? She focuses on the warm feeling instead.

So she is the one who scoots closer this time. “But, you’re alright with this? Us, I mean? Are you worried for what Keaty and Vella would think?”

She’s… right to be concerned. Keaty and Vella and the pack haven’t had the same positive experience with humans. And just because Lupus has grown attached to one doesn’t automatically mean they’ll accept her, too. In fact, they might even react aggressively. It wasn’t too long ago when she herself regarded humans in a similar manner.

How close-minded she was then.

“You know what? If they don’t like it, then I’ll show them that they’re wrong.” She resolves… with another scoot, then jumps in place as she is now close enough to feel Seta’s hand. Warm feeling, warm feeling. Focus on the warm, try and ignore the prickly. She takes a deep breath. “Because you mean a lot to me.”

The next thing Lupus knew, Seta rests her head on Lupus’s shoulder. “Hey, Lupus?”

Feeling her throat getting suddenly dry, Lupus gulps. “Yes, Seta?”

“Remember how you told me I had a scent you couldn’t place?”

“I still haven’t thought of one.”

“Well, you smell better than the best flowers I smelled.” She replies, “You have like, the best scents nature has to offer, all in one lean and muscular body.”

Lupus felt her body heat shoot up at that. “I wish I could describe your scent like that.” She reaches around with her arm and pulls Seta even closer, getting rid of that offending distance. With her finally focusing on the warm instead of the prickly, she felt her body relax. “Hey, Seta?” And saying her name never feels like it’s getting old.

“Yes, Lupus?” Hearing her name being said by Seta always feels good, too.

“Could we do that thing again? The kiss?”

“Only if you’re okay with it.” Seta slowly moves away and for the first time since getting here, Lupus looks at her.

Warm feeling, warm feeling. Lupus is finding it harder to ignore the prickly. “I want to. I really want to.”

“I really want to, too.” Seta moves in first…

And Lupus finishes off the remaining space. The prickly points all shot out, leaving Lupus with only that warm feeling. Warm and comfort and… just right. Without even thinking about it, her arms wrapped around Seta, and hers did the same. Closer, ever closer. Soon enough, that kiss changed.

No longer was it just lips brushing against each other. Now it involved open mouths and tongues. Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump. Lupus could both hear  **and**  feel both of their hearts racing. She wants more, more! She’s never felt  **this**  good, no great, no wonderful! It took nearly a minute to realize they were on the ground, and another minute to realize she didn’t care. Outside is where she belongs…

With Seta is where she wants to be. “Haah, S-Seta…” Lupus moans as that warmth starts to spread, hotter and further. Once her arms gently held her, but now they travel, feeling more and more, wanting to explore what Seta has to offer. Suddenly, clothes felt like a burden, despite how soft they are, despite how well they fit Lupus.

She associates this feeling with mating, but it’s… different. “L-Lupus, please…” Seta feels something similar then. Her hands are also exploring Lupus, and she can feel her skin ignite wherever she is touched. Soon enough, gone were the slow and careful movements as they became frantic and needy. Lupus doesn’t care how others may see this, all that matters is the woman below her. To hear those changes in tone, the quick breathing, the quiet whimpering for more, more.

Not that Lupus knew what she was doing.

But, she got this far with ignorance, she’s certain she could learn as she goes. With that in mind, she gets rid of that offending obstacle that has been constricting her so much…

And off goes her clothes without a second thought. Her hands fumble as she does the same for Seta, wanting to feel nothing more than  **her** , just  **her**. “Seta…” Lupus whines, not wanting to actually tear her clothes off.

Seta simply nods as her fingers glide around, removing her clothes off, and finally! The two crash back together with absolutely nothing in between them. Lupus presses her body onto Seta’s, craving more and more of that warm… no, it isn’t warm anymore. It’s a burning feeling. Hotter than any fire she’s been near, but it’s a fire she wants more of. “Haah, L-Lupus… gods. I…” With her face fully flushed, Seta wraps her arms around her again.

Lupus is desperately touching Seta, trying to find those spots so she can hear more. More of the gasping and whimpering and moaning. She found that first spot when she grazed by Seta’s breasts. The archer’s back… arched as a wave of pleasure followed. Picking up on that, Lupus focused on them, touching and rubbing. “Seta…” Lupus felt like she simply couldn’t say anything else.

But, saying her name never got old, there was always a spark.

Seta’s nails dug into her back as Lupus’s touches became rougher, more demanding. It was at this point that the dragon-shifter just  **knew**  where to go next. She felt it in her own core, burning with heat, but also wet and slick. Removing one hand from her breast, she slides it down, feeling each dip and rise on Seta’s body…

And then she brushed by her core. Seta lets out a relatively loud moan as she practically crumpled under the pressure. Though her nails definitely dug deeper, and Lupus could pick up the scent of blood… she didn’t care, all that mattered were those sounds Seta is making. “Lupus, Lupus, Lupus…!” She desperately repeats as her fingers finally slide in, the other bucks her hips in response, willing more in.

“S-Seta, Seta, Seta…!” Lupus responds in kind as she slides further in, then pulls a bit out. In and out, the motion repeats. Seta’s thrusts matches Lupus’s rhythm, allowing her to reach even further in. Lupus wasn’t sure how long it lasted, but she knew when it ended.

Seta’s inner walls clenched around Lupus’s fingers, she lets out an undeniably loud shout of pleasure, and her nails practically rip into Lupus’s back. “Haah, haah… L-L-Lupus…” For a moment, they lied there, her fingers still inside, unwilling to leave that precious spot of warmth and wet. “...love you. Gods, I love you.” She finally says.

Love… the concept that was so foreign to Lupus. Something she wants more of. “Seta. I love you, too.” But only from Seta.

“Sh-should… we…” Her breaths come out heavy and uneven, “public… area…?”

“Don’t… care.” She grunts as her arms give out, landing with an ungraceful thud next to Seta. A slick pop shortly follow as the liquid-covered fingers slide up Seta’s body, before slowly reaching around to pull her close. “Just… worry… about us. Don’t… care what… others think.” The other arm snakes under Seta and only slightly above the ground. One hand slicked with Seta’s juices and one with a fair amount of dirt, each grabbing the archer and pulling her closer.

“Suppose… too… tired.” Seta lazily smiles before yawning, her arms still wrapped around Lupus, though she has released her death-grip on her, letting her hands relax enough to where her nails aren’t digging into Lupus’s skin. “Sorry, for…”

“Felt great…” Lupus assures her, “Don’t… worry.” With all of the offending distance removed, Seta rests her head in the crook of Lupus’s neck. The two women’s breathing steadies together, and they fall asleep like that.

Two nude women in the middle of the gardens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess you could say that the sex scene just… came to me! I swear this was just going to be them kissing, but it just kept escalating higher and higher and… well, this happened.
> 
> So, LupusxSeta is definite, set in stone. And well… at least there won’t be anymore sexual tension present to cause Lupus to make some ‘in-the-moment’ decisions.


	15. Theory of an Airhead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus. Sakura = Saku. Ryoma = Red. Azama = Monkundo. Subaki = Superman. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Lupus awoke to the sound of gentle breathing, a warm body pressed up onto her, and the sight of the woman she had sex with next to her. The Wolfskin-raised human yawned and stretched, completely content with staying right here with her. Their arms are still wrapped around each other, though it does seem her arms has gotten more dirt on them…

Oh well.

She rarely feels better than when she's outside. Dirtiness is just a part of life… besides, being dirty means she'll eventually get itchy, and being itchy means she can have an excuse for someone to scratch those itches. Letting out a small giggle, she bundles up closer to Seta, and the, wait. There's a… blanket on her?

Lupus scooted around, seeing the extra covering over them. Well, it  **is**  soft, so she supposes she can let it slide. Then again, humans don't take to nudity so openly, maybe it's for the best they are covered. In any case, she'll have to thank Hina later. Her big sister's lingering smell of spicy is still on it, but now that scent is mixed in with her own 'nature' and Seta's alluring scents.

She then gives Seta a quick kiss on her cheek, relishing in both the scent and taste of her.

In response, Seta tightens her embrace around Lupus, even though she is still asleep. Just like something Keaty and Vella would do. She then frowns, feeling an increasing urge to see them again. How long has it been? She wonders if they worry for her. Well, of course they worry, they are her family, the pack… even if it's just Keaty and Vella who worry.

She wants to visit, to see them again… to soothe her own fears. They are alive, they have to be.

Seta squeezes her tighter, as if knowing she isn't calm. Her embrace helped, but it didn't stop the tears from falling. "Keaty… Vella…" She ends up whimpering.

"Heeeey, Lupus?" Seta whispers. "Take a breath. They're fine." To be honest, the archer's breath on her skin isn't really helping her.

It almost feels as if her hands are over her all again. "I… can't. You, you don't know how tough it was over there."

Seta hums, "You're right, I don't. But, I do know that you're strong, and since they raised you…"

She's right, too. "Not everyone comes back safe, though." Lupus feels her breath choke, "I've seen the alpha come back injured. And he's a Wolfssegner." A pause, "It was one of the winter days, where the snow was piled higher than normal."

* * *

Lupus was tending to a campfire. She already went through and checked all of the flaps for every den, so now all she could do is poke at this campfire. She wouldn't be any help if the cold got to her. It's not fair, that she needs extra time to warm up in between rounds. The alpha, Keaty, Vella, and a few other of the more stronger members of the pack are out hunting.

Lupus has already checked up on the other Wolfskin, with one of them being that much older bitch that knows so much about herbs. She frowns as she thinks their talk over again. She really  **is**  old, like, starting to have trouble with even the intermediate tasks. The only reason she's still here is due to her skill in those herbs. Otherwise, she would have been abandoned.

She reached for the makeshift blanket that was made for her, which truly wasn't more than a well skinned bear hide. She wrapped it around her, before resuming to poke the fire, willing herself warm. Unfortunately, there wasn't much else to do before the next round of check-ups, which meant her mind was free to wander and worry on the condition of her family, the pack.

Winters were never easy.

Scent trails are lost, food becomes scarce, and playtimes don't occur.

And it's truly apparent when the others start to get hungry. Lupus can see it in Keaty's or Vella's eyes, it's a sort of glint, but it's a bad kind of glint. The type where she has to start being careful.

She isn't Wolfskin, if the situation was bad enough, she wouldn't doubt she'd end up… at least, if she ever were in that situation, she'd hope the pain wouldn't last. Lupus shivered, but… that's a last resort.

Her ears twitch as she picks up an obscure howl, it was too distorted by both the flap and the falling snow to properly make out. She shouldn't leave, not yet… it could be a rival pack, looking to take what's theirs, it could even be a wolf pack. She simply can't… a second howl, this one more urgent and clear. She can make out the distinction of the tone…

Vella.

But, this howl didn't sound like a simple return call. No, it's too desperate… and injury! Lupus bolts up, adrenaline running through her as she feels the sudden urge to help. Discarding the bear pelt, she parts the flap and lets out her own howl, a request… who's hurt, how serious.

Keaty's comes next, it's far more powerful than what Vella sounded off. Someone really important… the alpha! Summoning her strength, Lupus replies with another, part of it was for the pack, the other was for the old Wolfskin. She had to make sure to have that second portion extra loud, lest she doesn't pick up on it.

With that out of the way, Lupus makes a dash across the snow-covered den grounds towards the old Wolfskin's den. The snow may have obscured her vision, and the scent trail may have been lost, but she's been there enough time to remember the path. All she has is…

Lupus squeaked as she felt a heavy force slam her onto the snow… it's probably due to the white and cold blanket that she didn't suffer any cracked bones. When her vision levels out, she sees a shifted Wolfskin looming over her. Her breath catches as she's locked in his stare. "Hmph, a pet." He scoffs. "You're too small to even be a snack, human." He sniffs her. "Or, perhaps there's another reason why you're here?"

Her breathing shortens, partly from fear, and partly from his intensity and…  _"It's not about what the female wants."_  Lupus struggles against the hulking Wolfskin for a half-moment, before freezing as his grip forces her arms to the ground. She shivers, though the cold isn't doing much for it.  _"It's about what the male wants."_

He chuckles, "Oh, so you were raised by this pack? That would explain why you aren't struggling much."

"Mating…" Lupus breathes.  _"I'd imagine he would hold you down… biting."_  No! Don't think of that now!  _'I wondered what it's like.'_  Her heart races as she looks him over, that distinct pull that the alpha described is there. By of their own will, her legs move to part.

"Sister!" And the next moment, Vella slammed into the Wolfskin.

"I gotcha." Keaty scooped her up the next moment. "He's already in there. Stay put." He says as he drops her off in the old Wolfskin's den.

Lupus nodded as she stumbled backward, her thinking finally catching up to her. She… she almost gave in. She felt it, it may have not been her being in heat, but she felt something of the sort. "Pup." She jumps in place, turns, and see the alpha. He has several nasty gashes strewn across him.

"Alpha?"

He chuckled, "It won't happen again." He stands to his full height. He is bleeding, but it looks like it was a whole lot worse recently.

"What happened?"

"A group of poachers taking advantage of our hindrances in the winter snow." He… doesn't seem that bothered. "Shows how incapable humans are."

* * *

With their clothes back on, Seta tilts her head at Lupus, a worried expression showing, "You were more worried about the alpha than yourself?"

She quickly nodded, "Yes." Of course she doesn't understand, "It's a Wolfskin thing, Seta. I don't expect you to understand."

"Buuuut, you're also the best when it comes to traps, riiiight?" Another confirming nod, "So, you should take more care for yourself, didn't you say you were worried if they would be dead if  **you**  weren't there to deal with the traps?"

"Well yeah, but the alpha has the final say-so in everything, if…"

"They're also mating to be the strongest, soooo… maybe it's time to adapt some new ideas? What if there are more Wolfskin like you and the oldest one you mentioned? What if there are ones with high potential, but their alpha doesn't let them speak up?"

Whatever retort Lupus had died on her tongue… Seta's right. Lupus only managed to 'lead' disarming traps because she went out on her own and discovered that talent herself, if she were born Wolfskin, she'd never have done that, because it would be against the alpha's command. And the alpha knows what's best for his pack…

Or does he?

A third nod, "You're right, Seta. But I can understand your thought process because I'm a human. The alpha won't…"

"I think you're wrong on that, too." Wow, she's really adamant on changing her views today. "The alpha let you leave when you wanted to, despite him losing the best trap disarmer. Vella sees you as a 'sister', Keaty doesn't reject your Human habits even if he doesn't openly accept them. The alpha  **lets**  all of this happen. I think that your family, the pack, is in the best position to change, to set an example." Seeming satisfied with her explanation Seta flashes that lazy smile of hers…

The one that makes Lupus's heart race.

And come to think, this is coming from the same woman who falls into traps and has a tendency to daydream or seem like an 'airhead', as Hina puts it. But, if Seta is truly an airhead…

Then she's her airhead. "Thank you, Seta… you always seem to know what to say."

The two share a big smile, "So, that means you'd like to cloud gaze right now?"

"If it's with you? Absolutely!"

* * *

Lupus's days have been relatively lax since arriving here, but she has never spent a day as idle as today. Sitting next to Seta, holding hands, and cloud gazing…

If only her heart was as steady.

But, the prickly feeling has almost completely vanished, leaving only the warm feeling left. Lupus would be completely fine with declaring she'd be happy simply being by Seta's side.

That feeling has to be love.

A quick smile, a light squeeze on her hand, a brief kiss, all of these things and more brings her heart racing.

"I should check up on Hina…" She suddenly states, "I'm still her retainer."

Lupus frowns, but she knew this would pop up, "I'm going to see if Kaden and Selkie are okay. I'll, uh, see you later?"

Frowns morph into smiles, "I'd love that, Lupus." One kiss from her leaves her mind blank for a few moments. The two women rise and leave, saying one more set of goodbyes.

It didn't last nearly long enough.

Shaking her head and trying to settle her now slower beating heart, she takes a deep sniff, quickly pinning down the Kitsunes' scents. She quickly follows it through the halls, completely unbothered by the many twists and turns. At some point, she picked up her speed… the two must be feeling better, since their scent trails leads straight outside.

"Hey, woah!" Takumi calls her out, "What's the rush, sister?"

"Gonna see Kaden and Selkie!" She yells from over her shoulder, refusing to slow down. Besides, they might be leaving here right now, and she, at the very least, would like to give them her goodbyes. One moment she was in the castle, then she ran through the courtyard, leaped from the ground and onto a building… summoning her wings for a single flap, enough to skip having to climb up the side of the building. She lands with a roll, then continues running without any delay. She quickly takes a deep sniff of the air, then shifts direction to match up with their path… part of the roof chips away from the force of her movements. Sprint, jump, wings, roll, she repeats as she clears a distance that would be unreal to human standards.

But, she isn't human, is she? Apparently born a half-dragon, raised by Wolfskin… the alpha had to have known something. Her pointed ears and slightly sharper teeth were the only reasons she was even taken in the first place… She shakes her head as she makes another incredible leap…

There might be a foot-sized hole from that one.

Due to her life in the mountains, however, even a sudden and unexpected obstacle like that didn't faze her. Within that moment she would have tripped and faceplanted on the roof, she has already recovered and regained her speed.

She's… she's better than a human. But, humans aren't weak, they are not all greedy.

Then again, her family, the pack, is also the most flexible… Seta is right, they  **can**  change.

Taking one last massive jump, her wings slow her descent just enough to keep her from crashing into the ground below. One more roll and she's outside of the city. She dismisses her wings and resumes her sprint…

While panting heavily. It's been a while since she's made such a run. Lupus lets out a ragged howl, a plea to wait up…

Her heart lightened with the response.

Then she saw them, the pair of Kitsunes she  **almost**  killed. "K-Kaden… S-Selkie…" With them within ear distance, she finally lets up on her sprint. Her legs feel rather sore and her throat is dry.

"Lupus?" Kaden asks.

"Heya, Lupus!" Selkie adds.

"What do you want?"

"Just… since you're leaving. I… wanted to say, well… goodbye? Be safe." Lupus felt unsure, this isn't something the Wolfskin do, so she also doubts it's something the Kitsune do.

"You ran all the way out here to say that?" He raises an eyebrow.

"And… I'm sorry. I know I can't take that pain back, and I know words won't fix anything, but I'm really sorry." Lupus takes a deep breath, her breathing has already evened out… even if her legs are sore and her throat still feels dry. "I don't expect…"

"Accepted!" Selkie exclaims, much to the dismay of Kaden, "What? Stop being so dense! You know she didn't  **want**  to hurt us." She narrows her eyes as she stares him down.

"She willingly…"

"Oh, don't be like that." Selkie turns and walks towards Lupus, "Hey, don't worry about it, okay? I heard you back in the healing-place." She smiles, "It's all good, I believe you."

"...Thank you, Selkie."

The female Kitsune looks her over, "Oh, you're dirty… does that mean you're itchy?"

"Selkie, we need…"

"Nuh-uh." Kaden startles at her sudden defiance, "I wanna stay with Lu-pu." Selkie giggles, "Oh! Can we have nicknames, too!?"

Lu-pu… "Well, I'm not itchy right now," She starts off, "And uh… Selly? Sekie? Silky?" Lupus nods to herself, "Silky, since your fur is so nice."

Her furry ears twitch and she gives an open smile, showing off her canines, "Silky… Okay, what about my dense brother?"

"I'm right here, you know…" He gripes.

"Ka-da." Lupus quickly supplies.

"Ka-da?" Silky echoes, "Ka-da… kinda cheesy, but I think it works."

"Don't call me Ka-da." Ka-da sighs.

"Too bad, too late, your name is now Ka-da." Silky turns towards Lupus once more, "Alright Lu-pu, what are we gonna do next?"

She offers a tired smile, "Kinda out of shape, wore myself out getting here."

"Aw… that's alright." Silky smiles, "You're a good playmate, I can wait. Ka-da? Are you gonna stay, too?"

He looks to the horizon, then back to the two women… then shrugs. "Oh, alright." He walks back to them… then levels a look at Lupus, who shivers from his intense gaze.

"Ew, not here!" Silky pouts.

"I didn't even do anything this time!"

"You held off both me and Selkie, not to mention standing your ground against several others. You've done enough to catch my eye." He steps forward, she stays in place. "Maybe some other time, after you rest up,  **I'll**  see if I want  **you**." He smirks before taking a few steps away…

Then he pulls out a brush and starts grooming his fur.

Lupus yawns and stretches.

Silky looks between the two. "...Are you itchy now?" She smiles.

"Nope." Lupus admits, "C'mere." With Silky in range of her arms, Lupus begins rubbing her fur. "So… soft." She hums.

"Mmm…" Silky ends up lying down on the ground, Lupus lies next to her as she continues to give her a very hard rub. "Haah… You're soooo good at this, Lu-pu…" Her leg even starts shaking. "Haah, haah…" Her fingers may have grazed her nipples by mistake, hence why Silky is panting in a rather… heated manner, but it's all good. They aren't humans. There's no advantage to having two females together, so Silky won't try and mate with Lupus…

What happened with Seta won't happen with Silky.

"I can't help it, your fur is so soft." She says as she tackles Silky, burying herself further into the Kitsune's fur. "Smells good, too."

"Hee hee, thanks! The humans there have such good smelling soaps and shampoos and whatever else they use to clean themselves. Can't find anything like it in the forests."

"Yeah, well…" Lupus starts, "Also can't get anything to smell like how the forests can get you to smell."

"Forest smells aren't bad," Silky nods, "Except wet fur."

"I know, right!" It's almost like they never fought in the first place… even if Lupus can't remember that, "Oh, it could get bad during the rainy days in the mountains. Buuut, Keaty and Vella kept themselves dry pretty well. Oh!" She suddenly exclaims, "You ever had snow in the hamlet?"

"Snow?" Silky echoes, "What's that?"

"It's like… rain, but really cold. But, it's a nice cold, and it's  **soft**. It usually piles really high and you can pack it together to make things!" With that, Silky bolts up, interest burning in her eyes.

"Have you ever played in it?"

She hums, "A few times. Buuuut, snow obscures scent trails, so had to make sure we didn't go too far."

"Aw…" Silky pouts, while lowering her ears. "But, I bet you didn't have the days where the trees lost a lot of their leaves and they would fly around in the air."

"We made a game to catch as many as you could without letting go of the ones you already had." Ka-da added.

Silky then snickers, "But you were never too good at it."

"The leaves kept getting stuck in my fur!" He counters. "And don't act like you were much better."

She pouts, "Yeah well…" She pauses, unable to come up with a good enough retort.

Taking advantage of the silence, "Hey, Silky?" Lupus rolls over, "Riiight here." She points to a spot on her back.

"Itchy?" Silky asks, perhaps a bit too eagerly.

"Yup." She nods. The Kitsune quickly scooted over and started, "Under my shirt, if you don't mind? I really like it."

"Sure thing!" Her hands easily slip under Lupus's shirt and starts scratching her back.

"Oooohh…" In response, her leg starts kicking, "That feels good…" She hums. It feels like she's adding just the right amount of pressure. "O-o-oh!" She ends up squeaking, practically collapsing under her fingers. "S-Silky…"

Who giggles at Lupus's current state, "Imma so do this to you next, Ka-da." She calls him out.

"That requires for me to get unnecessarily dirty, and that isn't going to happen."

Silky's eyes light up, then Lupus felt the Kitsune's breath start hitting her back, "Hey, Lu-pu?" She nearly sings.

"Yes, Silky?"

"Up for a round of chase?" Lupus's ears perked up, "Let's see if we can get him really dirty…"

"Could you two not…?" Ka-da complains.

Lupus thinks it over, "I'd need some water first." She concludes.

"Then let's get some water!" Silky exclaims, pulling her arms away from Lupus. She raises her head to the air and sniffs, her ears perking the next moment, "Okay, this way."

Smiling, Lupus follows Silky…

She looooves playtime.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Seta dispensing words of wisdom? That literally came out of nowhere for me.
> 
> Oh yeah... and right back to the two Kitsunes, Silky and... Ka-da. I kinda feel bad for Kaden on that.
> 
> Anyway, I'll be shifting back towards Lupus's family, get some awkward and learning moments over there...
> 
> And then I can advance the overall plot.


	16. Abra 'Ka-da'bra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrapping up the Kitsune side of things, so Lupus can finally start getting some family bonding in.
> 
> Also, #bestchaptername
> 
> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus. Sakura = Saku. Ryoma = Red. Azama = Monkundo. Subaki = Superman. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.
> 
> bLuewErewOlf25: Yiff, yiff, yiff, yiff…
> 
> Keep stoking those perverse fires and I’m sure I can get in a, uh… ‘bonus’ chapter in somewhere.
> 
> Short, sweet, and to the point. The beast-shifters don’t use long explanations and reasoning to get something across. Why do they mate? So the females can give birth to the next generation. Who’s in charge? The alpha. Compare that to the humans, who tend to desire why something happens, who wants to know all of the little things, so they have all these rules.
> 
> As long as her core isn’t dripping, it should all be good.
> 
> Pretty much everything on the physical side of things starts high and has high growth rates for Lupus. I showed off her strength and speed side of things. Her defense will be the next ‘feat of strength’ her family will see.
> 
> And now to last chapter’s comment: A plan that sounds like a plan is a plan to me!
> 
> Thou shalt not take Seta’s wisdom for granted. If she were to show off her true nature then people would line up to her more than Orochi’s diviner fortunes.
> 
> Heh… heh. Plenty of potential ‘plot’ to be had there. Seta would definitely take that the wrong way, Lupus would probably be fine, Ka-da wouldn’t care. Hopping back to the previous chapter’s comment on that: I tend to give ‘mating’ and ‘sex’ differences from each other. Mating is the sole purpose for getting another batch of animals up and running. As Vella so bluntly put it, it isn’t about what the female wants, it’s about what the male wants. Mating is one-sided. ‘Sex’ is a whole lot less strict, and that’s what Lupus had with Seta: Sex, not mating. Women can’t get women pregnant, therefore women can’t mate with women.

Silky led Lupus to a nearby lake, to which she eagerly lapped up the cool water. It would have been better colder, but the sun prevents that from happening. Regardless, she drinks her fill, before turning to Silky with a water-drenched face and smiling. Her throat isn’t dry anymore, though her legs are still a bit sore.

So, now all that’s left is playtime!

“Hey, Silky?” Lupus starts off, “Would it be okay if we played… y’know, in our shifted forms?”

“You sure?” She asked, “Are you gonna be okay?”

“I have my Dragonstone, so yeah.” She raised her necklace, with the blue-ish stone held inside its clasp. “Besides, I need to learn how to use it properly.”

“Right, because you shifted without your Stone.” Ka-da brings up, narrowing his eyes on her, “I’d only say yes to watch you stumble around.”

“Ka-da!” Silky retorts. “That’s mean.” She puffs her cheek out.

“ **You** forgave her, not me.”

Silky’s ears drooped down, “Then it’s a surprise **you** are even still here.” Lupus counters. “If you’re thinking I’m just going to be a shifter and listen…”

“Perhaps I just don’t believe you won’t try anything again…” Ka-da declares.

“Really?” Lupus pouts, “Why?”

“You nearly killed us, Lupus. You chose to…”

“We’ve already been over that! Find a different reason!” She growls, narrowing her eyes.

“...” Ka-da glares.

“Oh, I get it.” She slightly relents, “You think that since I’m a good choice for a mate, that I’ll just bend over and obey and agree with whatever you have to say. Well, I’m not that type of bitch. I’m part human, part dragon, raised as a Wolfskin.”

Ka-da smirks and his eyes light up, “Alright, we’ll play in our shifted forms.” He speaks up, “Just you and me.”

That is, his eyes lit up with a glint. Unlike his interest, however, Silky huffs and backs off, “If you’re gonna test for ‘that’, then Imma hunt.” She puffs her chest, turns around, and walks off… almost childishly muttering complaints.

Ka-da keeps his gaze on Lupus, the former with his Beaststone in hand, the latter with her Dragonstone slightly glowing. “I got your interest, then?” Lupus asks, “so now you want to pin me down?”

“I want to see how deeply rooted your Wolfskin habits are.” His Beaststone glows as he shifts, “And if you happen to prove yourself capable in your dragon form? Then yes, I’ll pin you down and mate with you.”

She shivers, before shaking her head and focusing on her own Dragonstone, “Good, I wasn’t going to roll over and spread my legs, anyway. I’m gonna make you work if you want me.” Smiling, she shifts. “And… even if you do end up claiming me, I’m not going to remain a submissive like a bitch in heat. I’m going to **keep** fighting back.”

At that, the distinct smell of musk hits the air and Ka-da’s… ‘fox’ ends up pitching a tent in his pants. “Uh-huh. Let’s see how well you can back up your words, Lupus.” He growls, “You ready?”

She returns his growl with her own, “Yep.”

With the speed Lupus expected from him, he pounces, slamming into her side, before using it as a ramp of sorts, jumping from her, to a tree trunk, and back to her… though this time his claws scraped against her scales. Scraped… not ripped into. If her dragon form could smirk, then she definitely would be smirking. Shaking off the Nine-tails, Lupus moves to hit him, but, he’s of course, already gone from that spot. Too slow, too slow. She growls as he goes for his next pounce, but she manages to weave around him this time… and he ends up hitting her wing.

Oh, that’s right, she has two of those…

She manages to land a weak back-hand of sorts, though it’s enough to stagger him. She goes for a swipe next, but he’s already recovered and gone by that time. She turns in place and meets his next attack head on. Perhaps he wasn’t expecting her to keep up that quickly, and instead of landing that attack, he instead jumps off of her, before immediately turning around in the air to pounce off of another tree…

At least, he would have, if she didn’t accidently knock the tree down.

...She forgot she has a tail, too.

He fell to the ground in an ungraceful manner. So, he must not be used to sudden changes in an environment like she is. Keeping that in mind, she attempts to strike him with her tail, but being as uncoordinated with the extra appendage as she is, she ends up missing him completely, and down goes another tree.

She’s pretty sure Ka-da is snickering at her right now.

Then she gasps as he lands on her once more, this time with his claws digging into her. She went to shake him off again, but this time two of his tails anchored themselves around her wings. With his body secured, he restarts his attack, clawing into her again…

So she rolls over, forcing him to jump off, lest he gets crushed by her now-massive body. She manages to quickly get back up, before turning towards him, faster than last time.

She can do this, she’s getting used to her new form…

But then again, she’s fighting someone who **is** completely used to their form. Not to mention Ka-da has obtained the superior Nine-tails form. If he were just a normal Kitsune, then this playfight wouldn’t be giving her such a hassle.

...Is this a playfight anymore? Lupus can clearly tell he meant it when he declared that he’d mate with her.

But, that would only happen if she proves to fight well enough in her dragon form. Ka-da charges her this time, instead of leaping. Unlike his jumping, however, his ground speed proves to be far better. If it weren’t for her dragon’s superior eyesight, then she’d never even seen him coming in the first place. If she were just a human, she wouldn’t have been able to react in time.

Neither of those are true, however. So, as pitiful as it was, she swiped him as he approached, though due to his speed, it actually ended up hurting him quite a bit. He grunted as his body was sent skidding across the ground, akin to how his body skipped on the lake. Just like last time, he recovers before he would have naturally stopped, then jumped in again…

Off course.

At first, Lupus thought he missed due to just being hammered into the ground, but that thought was immediately proved wrong as he twisted his body mid-air, and jumped from an entirely different angle. Much to her discomfort, he landed on her once more, looking to end this fight.

This isn’t a playfight, that much is proved once he **bit** the back of her neck, claws digging into her back, and those two tails wrapping themselves around her wings. He’s looking to force her to submit… and as much as she wanted to experience mating, she also wasn’t about to let it happen so easily.

This, was frankly, exciting her. She rears her body skyward, before completely flipping backwards. He jumps back off… as she finished off the backflip. He clearly wasn’t expecting such a large creature to successfully pull that off, as she pinned him to the ground with her own hand. He struggles, though due to the sheer force of her grip, he’s pretty much stuck there. “I win.” She giddily declares.

He relaxes his body, and the two shift back. “...Still haven’t recovered completely.” He ends up making an excuse.

“Uh-huh, sure.” She smuggly smirks, “Just admit it, you can’t pin me down.” As he got up, however, she tackles him to the ground, their eyes staring each other down, “You lost to me.”

“Yeah yeah, you won.” He scoffs, “I was unable to hold you down… happy?” He looks and sounds genuinely annoyed. It doesn’t help his ‘fox’ hasn’t gone down, either. He was truly confident he would have won.

“Of course.” She smiled, even when her breathing came out ragged, whew she’s **really** tired now. “I liked that fight. I held my own against a Nine-tails! Oh… I can’t wait to tell Keaty and Vella that…” That pain of being unable to see them hits her again.

“Alright, I get it. Now, can we…” A pause, “Lupus?”

“I’m going to see my family.” She gets off the ground, allowing Ka-da to finally rise up. “Thanks, I had fun. I hope we can play again sometime.”

The nearby leaves rustle as Silky makes her return, though there seems to be some blood around her mouth. “You’re going back?” She frowns, “Ka-da, are you sure you don’t wanna stay with Lu-pu?”

“She’s with someone.” He flatly states. “It must be a human thing, since I don’t smell any musk. But… I’m not going to bother.” He turns and walks away, “We don’t have a hamlet anymore. So, if you want to stay with her, go ahead.”

“But, I want you here, too!” Silky pouts. “Weren’t you the one leading the hamlet on improving relations with humans?”

A pause. “I’ve been thinking it over, Selkie. And I’m not going to bother. I won’t put another hamlet at risk.”

Lupus looks between the two, “You’re being dense.” She finally speaks, “I don’t know how the rest of the Kitsunes act, but I think you guys can make a difference for the beast-races. We **can** make a good relationship between Kitsunes and Humans and Wolfskin, but it’s not gonna happen overnight. We got to work towards it.” She knows Seta is right.

He seems to think it over… but, she wonders what caused him to change his stance in the first place. Both he and Silky had a firm view on making a better bond between Kitsunes and humans. The only thing Lupus ends up thinking of is that something happened in the clinic. Or, is it really only because she had sex with Seta? “Selkie? Well?” He asks.

“Lu-pu is right. We’re not gonna fix problems by…” She couldn’t even finish before he already started walking away. “Stupid and dense Ka-da.” She pouts. “Can we go, too?”

“...Yeah.” Lupus nods as they walk back towards Shirasagi. She would run or even jog back, but she isn’t exactly in the mood for that. “Silky, I’m sorry I caused that.”

“I thought he was really gonna go through with it, but…” She starts off, “Alright, fine. Lu-pu? Ka-da had a really bad dream in the clinic. Like, his Beaststone glowing and he partially shifted bad dream.”

He can partially shift? She’s never seen any of the pack members do that. “What was it about?”

“The hamlet.” She simply replies. “But, I think something happened to him while we were separated… but he keeps being stupid and dense and he won’t talk about it. I get that neither of us can’t completely ‘get’ all of the human things, but he clings onto beast-shifter thinking more than he should. I don’t think he’ll ever actually recover until he **leads** another hamlet… but I also don’t think he **can** lead another hamlet until he fixes it. We aren’t good at these things, Lu-pu. Y’know, talking things out. Ka-da’s really strong, he makes a good alpha, but he can also be so dense. I’m trying, but I can’t always get the right words out.”

“Well, I don’t really know how, either.” Lupus nods, “But my family has been really patient and helpful, and I’m learning. Sure, I still don’t like some of the things they do, like with ‘etiquette’ and stuff like that, but they also introduced me to things I did end up liking. I dunno if you or Keaty or Vella would like them, but I’d appreciate it if you tried.”

Silky looks back once more, though Ka-da is already well out of sight, “Let’s go, then. I need something to distract me.” Her ears droop down. “So, watcha got planned when we get back?”

“I’d like to bond with my family some more. But, that’s about as far as it gets.” She admits, “Hey, Silky? You said Ka-da partially shifted, is that something Kitsunes can do?”

She nods, “Yeah, should be something any shifter can do… buuuut, there isn’t an advantage to doing that, so we don’t use the energy for that.”

“I suppose you all just don’t have a good enough set of all-around things to shift in the first place, ‘cause I can form my wings and glide for a bit.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Well… I suppose we could just shift our tails, but even that might end up more a hassle.” A wave of silence follows. Lupus notices that Silky occasionally glances behind them, even sniffing the air. She feels guilty about it, but Ka-da and Silky made their own choices. One Kitsune sticks to the ‘norm’ while the other fights to change how she acts.

Lupus also really hopes Ka-da will come around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I gotta admit… it originally wasn’t going to end in such a somber manner. But, like with the chapter on Lupus’s first dragon transformation, the other version of this one didn’t mesh well. The happy and good nature of it felt forced.
> 
> But hey, at least this means that Lupus can finally have those weird moments with her family again! And maybe Silky will even end up causing some strange things to happen.


	17. 'Silky' Sweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = nickname:  
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus. Sakura = Saku. Ryoma = Red. Azama = Monkundo. Subaki = Superman. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.
> 
> And only Selkie/Silky calls Corrin/Lupus by the name of Lu-pu.
> 
> Whoooooo boy. Let me tell you, if you thought anything was even remotely weird before, then you ain't read nothing yet. The events here aren't as awkward, but I think all that awkwardness was converted to weirdness.
> 
> ...I'm gonna have to write another chapter just starring Silky and Lupus again… eventually. Maybe even throw Vella into the mix. A set of beast-girls' night out, doing anything and everything humans probably wouldn't do.
> 
> bLuewErewOlf25: Ka-da is being all salty while Silky showcases a more sweet flavor, I bet that also extends to the taste of their… fur. Yeah.
> 
> Well, I never really did go into the type of clothes they're wearing. So, Ka-da has a looser set of clothes, like sweatpants, while Silky has a more form-fitting set, like some khaki pants? Anyway, now about giving his fox a gentle stroke? I guess I'm kinda torn between him only wanting use it to breed his mate, and him getting a very… intimate massage.
> 
> To be fair, canon Corrin instantly became battle-ready after their first transformation. Could you imagine someone like, picking up a sword, never had trained a day in their life, but instantly becoming a master at it? Nah, not here. Lupus is gonna have to learn to fight in her dragon form. Besides, Silky commented on still getting her tail caught in things, despite having it her whole life.
> 
> Maybe? I doubt Ka-da would though, since that'd be wasting his hot and probably salty juice. I could imagine Silky being more likely to do that. Also, let's see… this came off of a review on the FF.net side of things. "If Lupus were impregnated in her dragon form, would she have ten to twenty children in one go because of how clutches of eggs work? How would that interact with shifting back to human?"
> 
> Well… I do remember reading a fic way back when about a similar topic. It wasn't a fanfic, but it dealt with a human that was currently in dragon form getting pregnant, and was told *not* to shapeshift back into a human for a set amount of time. It does make me wonder how Lupus would feel being in her dragon form for like, over a month… or how her family would feel about that.
> 
> When the furries become even furrier…
> 
> *nods* A very good girl… maybe she deserves some attention, too. In fact, lemme give her some now.
> 
> And no, get your head of out of the gutter, there ain't anything sexual happening this chapter.

 

By the time Silky and Lupus got back to Castle Shirasagi, it was already near sunset. Hoshido gets this nice orange-ish glow to it, and for a few times, Lupus wanted to simply look skyward and see the clouds. But… she's hungry. So, she decides to fix that first. Though, one of the first things that happened was Superman swooping down on his Pegasus, "Ah, Lady Corrin." He greets, "And Miss Selkie, how are you two faring?"

Lupus tilts her head, "I'm well, Superman." She looks at Silky, then the horizon behind them, and back to him, "Kinda tired, though… maybe hungry, not sure. Silky?"

"Yup, I'm actually pretty done for today, too. Already ate, though." She kicks the stone at the same time as Lupus, causing the two to look at each and start giggling, "You do that, too?"

"I was the only one to do that back in the pack." She nods.

"Lady Corrin, shall I prepare some food for you?" He performs a short bow, "Perhaps…"

"Chicken?" She immediately asks. "Like the last one?"

He hesitates for the smallest of moment, before flashing a smile and nodding, "Of course. Shall I meet up with you in the dining hall?"

"Sure!" With that, Superman heads out once more, while Lupus and Silky head inside.

"It was his choice." Silky abruptly says. "Can't do anything about it."

"I know, but…" She pauses, "You listened and he didn't." She tilts her head, "Actually, Keaty and Vella were the same way… maybe males are dense in general?"

"Probably." She nods, "That kit who pulled tails is… was a male."

Lupus cringes, "Right, you told me about that." The two continued to walk through the halls. "So… you can partially shift?"

"Uh-huh." She nods, "Wanna see?"

"Yes!" And in the next moment, Silky shifted one of her arms to her Kitsune's form. "Ooo…"

"Can't really do much with it in this form. Like I said, it tends to be more a waste of energy, so we normally don't."

"I'm guessing you just focus your Stone on that one part?" Lupus asked, receiving a nods as Silky shifted her arm back, "Alright, so…" She brings the distant roaring to the front, but instead focuses on her arm.

"Eep!" Silky hops back as Lupus does, in fact, succeed… the problem?

Instead of forming one of her dragon's arms… a lance pops out. And that lance is now embedded in a wall. "Uh…" She sheepishly smiles, "Silky… I can't pull it out." After Silky recovered from her initial surprise, she nods again before placing her hands around Lupus's new lance and pulled hard.

Wow, her lance is really shoved in deep, too.

It took Silky planting her feet on the wall and pulling with a good chunk of her strength before it dislodged… flinging the two women backwards from it popping out so suddenly. Lupus hits the wall first, then Silky is next, landing on Lupus's lap. "Hee… ha, ha…" Lupus starts giggling, before it turns into full-blown laughter.

"What kind of dragon arm is that?" Silky gives in to the giggles as she stretches across the half-dragon, half-human raised Wolfskin woman.

"I dunno." She replies, while turning that lance back into her normal arm. "...huh, that means I can partially shift, and use it to fight." She strokes Silky's hair with a smug smile, "There's an advantage for me to partially shift."

Silky scoffs, "Yeah… but do you have soft fur?"

...She's jealous. "Nope." She digs her fingers into her fur even more, earning a groan of satisfaction, "Hey, Silky? Do you think Ka-da is gonna return?"

"I doubt he'll stay away." She replies, "He'll come around… I hope. I mean, we're all that's left of our hamlet, after all." A sigh, "I wish he'd talk about it."

The two lean against the wall in silence, before Lupus's stomach ends up making its hunger known, "I should get to the dining room."

"Oh yeah. Superman is getting you a chicken, isn't he?" She asks as Lupus gets up, causing the vixen to fall onto the floor, "Hey!"

"Yup, and I'm hungry." Lupus quickly walks away, "And no, you aren't getting any."

She huffs, "Fine, I guess I won't let you stroke my fur later."

"Oh really?" She raises an eyebrow as she begins walking.

"...no, not really." Silky pouts as she follows Lupus. "So, what does chicken taste like?"

"Oh, but first, let me tell you about this human thing called 'etiquette'."

* * *

The dining room doesn't seem any different than last time, except that Silky and Lupus arrive alone. The table wasn't even have that annoying 'utensil' stuff on it. Good, Lupus wasn't planning on using it, anyway. "Chairs, huh?" Silky asks as they approach the table. She then pushes the four-legged seating thing aside. "Looks hard." She then sits on it… then lets out a squeak of pain. "Oh… there's no spot for my tail! I don't like that! Luuu-puuu!"

"I got an idea for that. Get up." Doing just that, Silky stands and pushes the chair back. "Here we go." She forms her lance and thrusts a hole into the back of the chair, then retracts it.

"Ooo… a perfect size, too. Thanks!" She flashes her canines before sitting back down, inserting her tail through the new hole in it. "Much better." Her tail wags happily.

Lupus sits down beside her. "Ah, Lady Corrin. Perfect timing." As if he knew this was the ideal time, Superman walks in with a chicken very similar to the one he got her before. "Would you care for anything else? If not, I should return to my liege."

Silky looks at Lupus, and both shake their heads, "No thank you." Lupus flashes a smile.

Superman chuckles, before giving them a short bow, "Then enjoy your meal." With that, he leaves.

"So… chicken." Silky states as she reaches for a piece. "Never seen anything cooked." Her eyes dart to Lupus, before she rips off a piece for herself. "Smells good."

"Tastes great!" Lupus nods, before simply biting into it. "Mmm…" She hums, with her face now plastered with chicken juice. "Sooooo good. And no spices to ruin it!"

"Shpishes?" Silky asks with a mouthful of chicken, "What'sh them?"

"Bad smelling things that make it tashte bad."

"Humansh ushe them? Shounds pretty dumb." The two nod at each other.

"Just be glad we aren't having to ushe those utenshils."

"Little sister…" Hina enters the room, before sighing. "If you wanted some food, you could've asked the castle staff."

"They'd ruin it with shpishes!"

"Please, swallow your food before talking."

"Shee what I mean? Stupid etiquette." Lupus turns to Silky, whose hands are far more covered in chicken juice than hers. Well, to be fair, Lupus is just diving in head-first, being the one closer to the chicken. Hina closes her eyes and sighs at Lupus. "Oh, thanks for the blanket."

Her face turns red. "Not… a problem."

"Blanket?" Silky echoes. "What's that?"

"Soft cloth thing that goes over people when they sleep. We don't have fur, y'know." Lupus informs her, "I guess it's for decency, too. Didn't bother putting on clothes after having sex with Seta."

"Sister!" Hina chides her.

"Women mate?" Silky asks, "How?"

Lupus ignores Hina's protests, "It's a human thing, Silky. We didn't mate." Another chunk of chicken is bitten straight off the bone.

"Oh…" Silky rips another piece off with her hand, before smiling and humming as she bits into it, "I loooove birds." She burps, "I like how this one is featherless, makes eating easier."

Hina, perhaps giving up on the lack of etiquette, sighs and walks away. "I rarely ate things without at least a bit of cooking."

"Ooo, so you never had a live bird?" Her smile turns predatory, "I gotta fix that."

Yet, Lupus just tilts her head, "Hey, Silky? Mind opening your mouth again."

"Huh? Sure." She does so without a reason, "Why, shomethin insh my mouthsh?" She asks while Lupus sticks her hand in.

"Yeah, actually…" She ends up pulling out two vibrant red feathers covered in Silky's saliva. "Huh…" She isn't sure how long they have been stuck in her mouth, but they actually look pretty good…

Treasure.

Then she remembers that there is a rather large helping of Silky's saliva covering her hand, alongside some small bits of chicken. Lupus then sniffs it. It actually smelled almost nothing like the chicken the two are sharing. It's… kinda sweet, really. Being curious, Lupus does the next logical thing…

She licks Silky's saliva off of her hand.

"Oh. Whoops." Silky giggles, clearly not even phased by Lupus sucking all of her literally sweet saliva off of her own hand, "I love eating birds, but sometimes their feathers get caught in my mouth… and since the insides of my mouth are rather tough, I can't feel them." She opens her mouth again, "Wanna feel it?"

"Really?!" She asks, if far too excited. Once more, her hand enters the Kitsune's mouth, then starts to feel the insides of her mouth… though she also might have spent some time trying to get as much of that sweet saliva covering her hands. "Yeah, this is so rough compared to your fur." She pulls her hand out once more, "Hey, can I keep these feathers?" She asks, before going to clean the next set of saliva from her hand.

"Uh-huh, I only eat the feathers if they go down with the bird." She burps again.

"Hey, Silky?" She starts, "How do you do that? You taste really sweet."

"I do?"

"Yeah, here…" She sticks a finger in her mouth, before offering it to her.

Silky licks her own saliva off of Lupus's finger, "...Hey! You're right!" She smiles, "I never noticed."

Smiling, Lupus also burps, if slightly louder. The two then giggle. Lupus yawns…

Silky yawns. "Stop copying me!" Lupus pouts…

Silky pouts at the same time, "I can't help that you're so much like me!" Lupus snatches a bone off of the chicken and begins chewing on it. Silky snatches a bone off of the chicken and bites into it. "There, we're different."

"Why break it? There's plenty of flavor left on the bone." She points out.

"Really?" Silky tilts her head, before snagging another bone, this time to chew on it. "Oh… there is!" She smiles, "There's never any flavor left on the bones from the kills we made."

Once the chicken has had both its meat and its bones taken care of, the two sit there for a moment, completely content. "I suppose I should spend some time with my family." Lupus declares, "I wish I had something for you to do here."

The vixen pauses and thinks for a moment, "Well… I suppose I could just return to the forest for a bit. Oh, wait! What about the good smelling bath stuff?! Yeah, I wanna take a bath!" Silky bolts up. "Actually, don't tell me. I wanna find it, too. I'll see you later, Lu-pu, okay?"

"Alright… I hope we can play again together soon!" With that, Silky makes her way out, and that just leaves Lupus with one question…

Who is she going to spend time with first?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The most important lore bits ever to be introduced, ever! Silky's saliva tastes sweet. I have no idea how that popped into my head, but once it did? I just rolled with it. Just goes to show how different Lupus is from humans, how similar she can be to the beast-races, and how little such topics are discouraged in the Kitsune and Wolfskin communities.
> 
> Also, I suppose that means Silky and Lupus shared one heck of a kiss.
> 
> Where will Lupus end up next? When will the urge to go back to the pack finally become too great to ignore? Will Ka-da ever come back and pin her down? Will Silky start bottling her saliva and selling it as a sweetener?


	18. Who's Red, Determined, and Smells Spicy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, getting back to Lupus’s family! I’m sure they’ve been waiting patiently enough, but I’m also sure they would rather have their sister back with them, than spending her time with only the Kitsunes.
> 
> Delays are gonna start popping up. For those of you who are also following ‘Confined’, I am revising older chapters, which in turn pushes delays on the other fics that are 'WiP', which at this time are 'Confined', 'Confined: Contained', and 'Corrin, of the Wolfskin'.
> 
> Also, I’ll be including the nicknames with every chapter, as I hadn’t realized it was causing potential confusion, also I’ll be going back over the previous chapters and add in the nicknames that have been introduced then. The format, as usual, will be ‘Canon name’ = ‘nickname’
> 
> Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Hinoka = Hina. Setsuna = Seta. Corrin = Lupus. Sakura = Saku. Ryoma = Red. Azama = Monkundo. Subaki = Superman. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

**** Lupus traveled the halls of Castle Shirasagi alone, with no real destination in mind. Well, she knew she wanted to spend time with  **a**  family member, but the question was, which one? She wandered from one spot to the next, she could pick up Saku’s sweet scent, Hina’s spicy, Seta’s ‘perfect’ scent, Red’s… ‘sweaty’? Scent, and Takumi’s… something.

She needs to give him a nickname and figure out both of their scents.

She happened to end up at the training yard, and despite the fact that the sun has since set, the moon has risen… Hina was out here, training. Well, Lupus at least knows who she is talking to first, then. “Hey, Hina?” She asks as she enters the area. It seems she has discarded her lance in favor of… fists? Hina is actually practicing her punching on a dummy. “Hina?!” She repeats, causing her big sister to jump in place.

Wow, she was really focused. “Huh? Oh! Little sister? What are you doing up this late?”

“I could ask you the same thing, H… big sister.” She walked up, seeing that this dummy has suffered quite a bit of abuse, to say the least. She then noticed that Hina’s knuckles have been bandaged and healed a number of times, “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve been thinking…” She says, heaving a breath and stepping back, as if she was being fueled by adrenaline this whole time, and that source of energy has faded. “The last time you came in here, when we sparred.” She looks at the dummy, which does sport a few blood stains here and there, “About being ready for anything.” She sighs, “Sister… do you think we’ve failed you?”

“Huh? How?”

“Maybe I should’ve been there for that meeting, maybe I could’ve have brought you home then. Maybe we…”

“Okay, stop.” Lupus interrupts her, “Yes, it was tough being in the pack, but I loved the time I spent there. I probably would have loved growing up with my family, but I also don’t want to give up the time I had with the Wolfskin.” A pause as Lupus steps closer, “So, is that why you were hurting yourself on this dummy?”

She has a small smile, “I suppose I was also trying to improve. I’ll admit, it was embarrassing for you to best me that quickly.”

She looks at the beaten dummy… before kicking in its chest and causing the whole thing to crumple down. “Yeah, I’m strong when compared to you, aren’t I? But I’m weak when compared to Keaty and Vella when they shapeshift. I’m slow when compared to Silky and Ka-da in their shifted forms.” She looks at Hina, who is gawking over the fact that the dummy just fell apart in a single strike, “But you have a very happy Pegasus and skills in a weapon. You have a huge dedication to protecting family. I think that even the alpha would have a hard time winning against you.”

Perhaps Hina didn’t believe her, because she ends up shaking her head. “ **I**  want to be the one to protect  **you** .” Oh… “I’m your big sister, I should be the one fighting off the ones who wish you harm.”

“Alright, then what if the pack wants me back?” She narrows her eyes, “Would you fight off all of them?”

“Huh? Why… yes! I would! I’m not losing you again!”

“Even if I enjoy my time there?!”

“Sister! Do you not realize how much it hurt us when we heard our father died!? That you were taken away?!” Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she kept pushing, “I didn’t leave my room for weeks until I one day decided that sitting around isn’t going to fix anything! I took up the naginata, I trained harder than anyone here, just so  **I could bring you back** !”

Lupus lowers her body, “Alright then. Show me. Show me how much you want me to stay here.”

“By fighting you?” She looks confused.

“If you can’t best me, you won’t be able to fight off even the weakest of the pack. So, yes. You want to be strong enough to protect me? I can show you what I did to get this far.”

Hina looks at the dummy, then at her little sister’s fighting stance… the same one that floored her in a matter of seconds. “I… I’m not losing you again.” With her resolve set, she also lowers herself.

“Again, too tense. Stop digging your feet in so much. Hands, be ready to grab.” She points out. “Now then…” She would have continued, had Hina not went for a swift gut punch. And if Lupus were any slower, she wouldn't have been able to avoid it.

“Don't blink?” Hina smirked as Lupus barely stopped the incoming attack. “And always be ready.” Lupus flashes her canines as she moves to sweep Hina’s legs… only for her to perform a short hop.

… she learns quickly. A few more strikes ended up being thwarted by Hina. Maybe Lupus should stop holding back so much, then. Feeling that Hina is up to a better challenge, Lupus’s mouth forms a small smile. Hina just might be good enough for a playfight! Lupus moves in for a swift side-punch, only for Hina to side-step it and retaliate with a strike of her own. It frankly didn’t do much to Lupus, but the fact that Hina just dodged and landed an attack was enough.

Lupus lands a quick hit on her midsection, before grabbing an arm, looking to flip her around and floor her. Except… except that this time, Hina turn her grip against her, twisting Lupus’s arm just enough for it to be painful, forcing her to release. “Don’t underestimate my resolve, sister!” The fire in her eyes is burning bright… and the spicy scent Lupus has come to associate with Hina becomes more definite. “Do you realize how much losing you to the Nohrians hurt us?!” Hina’s strikes became faster, yet they stayed accurate. However, they still lacked the potency, as they only put the most minor of stagger on Lupus, whose skin and physical tolerance is far higher…

She did grow up without the aid of armor, after all.

_“Oof…”_  Lupus skidded across the ground as Keaty back-handed her hard enough to hit the ground. She was still learning, but even back then, there was an apparent difference between her and the pack. Keaty didn’t need to shapeshift back then to easily best her. Lupus had built up her stamina, but she lacked the other attributes in fighting…

If she didn’t double-down, she’d be useless.

_“Sister…”_  Vella chided her,  _“You’re going to get really hurt again.”_

_“Don’t care.”_  She got right back up, refusing to stand down,  _“I’m not good enough yet. I… I won’t be satisfied until I can hold my own against one of the pack.”_

_“You’re human. You_ **_can’t_ ** _stand against a Wolfskin.”_  Keaty scoffed.

_“I don’t mean when you shift, brother! At least… I need to be at least good enough to best you all while un-shifted.”_  Lupus charged Keaty again, before ducking under a quick and weak blow… but, the problem is that to Keaty it was weak, to Lupus it would  **really**  hurt to get struck by it. With a growl, she lands her first blow of the night on his side, and he retaliated by snagging her by the arm and flinging her across the grounds. Had Lupus not twisted her body mid-air, she would’ve hit the nearby den’s stone wall head-first. Instead, her back ended up taking the brunt of it.  _“I… got a hit in.”_  She coughed, but was otherwise pleased with herself.

_“...You got lucky. I’m not really trying.”_  Keaty brushed her off in his typically bluntness.  _“Honestly, stick with the traps.”_

_“Brother!”_  Vella had redirected her chiding on him now,  _“You know how much this means to her.”_  She walked towards Lupus,  _“Come on, let’s get you some rest, okay?”_

_“Ow…”_  She whined as her sister’s furred arms cradles her, then lifted her off the ground. Vella’s expressions is concerned… understandable. Lupus can smell the distinct scent of blood, and she does feel somewhat light-headed.  _“I’m gonna get him one day…”_  She muttered as she ended up passing out, with a small smile on her face.

“I won’t lose!” Hina exclaims, avoiding Lupus’s latest strike, before she grabs her arm, slightly twisting it, before using her body to bring Lupus down to the ground. “See?” Hina is breathing rather roughly, as her foot is on her midsection.

“One… problem, sister.” Lupus coughs.

“Huh? Ah!” The Wolfskin-raised half-human and half-dragon quickly grabs Hina’s thigh, before using her superior strength to bring her down… even from Lupus’s own downed position, then rolling over to pin Hina down.

“Gotta pin the other. Otherwise you’re leaving yourself open.” Lupus seriously states, no smile on her face this time. “Wolfskin don’t give in just because they’re on the losing side. They don’t stop even if there are weapons trained on them. ‘A cornered animal is the most dangerous’. Thinking you’ve won because you have a clear upper hand is an easy way to get yourself killed.” With that, she gets up off of Hina, before helping her up.

“Shoot…” Hina mutters, “C’mon though. I did good, right? I held my ground, I still managed to knock you down.”

For a moment, Lupus was going to respond in a ‘Keaty’ fashion with: Yeah, but I wasn’t really trying… “Yeah, you did. I didn’t think you’d get so good so quick.”

Hina smiles, clearly proud of herself, “Gimme a few more days, and I’ll be able to stand up to you without restraint.” She puffs her chest, “I know you better than that, you weren’t really trying, were you?”

“...You got me there.” The two share a laugh. “But, you did do really good, honestly.” Lupus then crouches down again, ready for round two…

“Alright, hold on. I never really fought like that, and my muscles aren’t used to being used like that. I need a few moments.” Hina states.

...Fair enough. Lupus used to have that same problem, granted that was something that was fixed  **very**  early on in her life, but it was there regardless. “...Hey, Hina? What were things like? When I was still here?”

She frowns, probably thinking more of Lupus’s actual disappearance, rather than thinking on when she was here all those years ago. “Our big brother and mother could probably tell you more, but as for what I know? I suppose you always were rather active. We could never keep you still. I think… I remember mother jokingly complaining about how your diaper would be changed in one moment, but by the time the next one was ready, you’d already be half-way across the room.”

“Diaper?” Lupus echoed.

“It’s… a specific type of undergarment that babies use.”

“I don’t like undergarments.”

“...I figured out that much.” Hina sighs, “How did you handle the… uh, monthly problems without them?”

“Huh?” Lupus tilts her head. “What happens monthly?”

“The part where you, er…” For some reason, Hina suddenly seems so reserved, “bleed ‘down there’.”

“Why would I have a wound down there?” Lupus looks at her lower half, completely confused. “Is that a human thing?”

“Sister, you  **are**  human! Which is why I’m asking in the first place!” Hina’s face lit up a brilliant red, almost outdoing her hair and eye color.

“I’m half-dragon, and no… I’ve never bled ‘down there’.” A pause, “Mother said I had scales when I was really young.”

Hina seems thankful for the sudden shift in conversation, “Oh right… you did. It wasn’t all the time, but they’d pop up quite often. We honestly thought you had some sort of rare disease, but the Shrine Maidens assured us that there wasn’t anything wrong. After that, we accepted that the Dawn Dragon favored you.”

“Family… what was father like?” Lupus plops down on the ground.

“Hm… the easiest way to describe father is to think of an older version of our big brother Ryoma. Older, wiser, and more experienced.” She nods to herself, satisfied by her own answer.

“Oh… I can see that.” Another pause, “So, how does it work? Having two rulers? Well, having more than one person in charge at all.”

“Do you think the alpha could handle hundreds of thousands of Wolfskin on his own?” She asks.

“No way. Even if he was the only one strong enough to be a Wolfssegner, he couldn’t mate with all of the bitches and…”

“Sister!” Hina chides her, “Please, watch your language.”

“...Huh?” She tilts her head, “Wolfssegner?”

“No… the other word.”

“About mating?”

“The one starting with a ‘b’.”

“Bitches?”

“Yes!”

“Why?”

“It’s offensive to use, that’s why.”

“Alright… then it should be offensive to call you a ‘Princess’.” Lupus narrows her eyes. “Another human thing, then… fine. Alright. The alpha couldn’t mate with all of the females in heat, and that would cause the number of Wolfskin to drop. So, for the good of the beast-race, they’d split up into smaller packs. Besides, it’s also better for survival to be spread out.”

Hina takes a breath, “Okay, so think of it like that. The King needs other people in charge so he can properly manage the entire country.”

“...but he only mated with mother.”

“Humans don’t ‘mate’.”

Lupus sighs, falls on her back, before spreading her body out… already exhausted from all of the human things. “Can we talk about something else, then? Or are you ready for another playfight?”

“You know what? I think I’d rather spar.” Ears perking, Lupus quickly gets back up, “Let’s go! Round two!” Without waiting for her to even get into a proper stance, Hina moves to make the first strike, quickly earning the initial hit, it’s a simple punch to the side, though it does seem she isn’t holding back as much.

Perhaps Hina realized she can’t really hurt Lupus that much? The Wolfskin-raised human dodges the next, before countering with a blow of her own, meant for her midsection, only for Hina to catch her fist… and being pushed back from sheer force, Lupus then weaved her other fist, but Hina redirected it with a backhand, then landing a punch with that same hand. Smiling once more, Lupus pulls her hand back, both fast enough and with a generous amount of force, to which Hina stumbled forward, and Lupus elbowed her on the gut, knocking the wind out of her and causing her to keel over.

Alright… maybe she still needs to restrain herself a bit.

But then Hina takes that hesitation and sweeps a legs under Lupus’s legs, causing her to ungracefully fall. Yet, before Hina could pin her, Lupus had already shifted around, gotten back up and landed a quick, but softer, blow on Hina’s arm. The next several strikes from either woman are dodged, deflected, or stopped outright. Of course, that also means the playfight was starting to heat up, going from the gentle and slow to rough and fast.

Lupus made sure she wasn’t going overboard… something that became difficult to do as Hina proved to be a force to be reckoned with. She started growling. Miss, miss, deflected, dodged, stopped, Hina prevented most of the strikes, and the only ones she’s been receiving are glancing blows… attacks that landed after being deflected a bit too poorly. However, on Hina’s side of things, she has already managed to land several full-force attacks.

Hina smirks, Lupus smiles.

Looking to finish it off, Lupus quickly moves in and tackles Hina, before going to pin her down… or at least, that was the idea. In one last surprise move, Hina actually twisted her body enough mid-fall so that Lupus was the one on the ground, and unlike last time, Hina used her whole body to pin Lupus down. Her older sister was sweating waves, but she looked incredibly proud of herself. “How about that time? I got you serious, didn’t I?”

Lupus nods, “Not enough to give it my all, but you did get me going… I like that. I’d like to have more playfights like that.” The two women were breathing rather rapidly… Lupus will definitely need to get some proper exercise in again… she’s starting to get lazy. She frankly wouldn’t stand a chance against Keaty now, even in his unshifted form.

Or… or maybe Hina is just a whole lot stronger than Lupus expected.

Right as Hina got up and lent a hand to assist Lupus up, the sun finally showed itself. Then, of course, Lupus’s stomach growled… Hina’s soon followed. The two let out weary giggles, “Food?” Lupus suggested.

“It’s probably time for breakfast, so yeah. Mind doing this again… uh, probably tomorrow. I’m gonna be sore today.” Hina has a small smile as they walked.

“You betcha! I’ll be looking forward to it!” Lupus nodded as she walked beside Hina, her big sister.

And oh… will there be playfights in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If Hoshido has it... I wonder if Hina uses Old Spice?


	19. Determination, Old Promises, and Hurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who was looking forward to seeing another sibling this chapter? Well, I have wonderful news!
> 
> You’re stuck with Hinoka. See, I was going to have Corrin transition from one sibling to the other through Hinoka, but then a conversation was brought up, then another, and the next thing I knew, I got another Hinoka chapter. Well… to be fair. She is supposed to be the family member that understands her the most, with only Setsuna being the first human topping her. Besides, steam is being blown off here… and no! Not the sexual kind! There’s no Valla, they are blood-sisters, and I’m not supporting incest… in this fic.
> 
> bLuewErewOlf25: Already gave ya my response via a comment, so… I just wanted to say that I’m glad I found a fellow beast… appreciator, and that I really did enjoy goofing off in that little spin-off of ‘Asserting Dominance’, AND that I hope you, uh… enjoyed the ‘plot’ as much as I did. It… did take me awhile to finish it, since there were things to take care of…
> 
> Do let me know if I’m starting to sound too intense, alright?
> 
> Canon name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

 

Lupus walked beside Hina, both of the women have suffered a number of bruises in varying sizes, some cuts here and there, and both have a healthy layer of dirt on them. Oh, and she can’t forget about the scents coming from them… sweat and dirt and outside and… spicy. “What’s for breakfast?” Lupus asks. “Is there gonna be chicken?”

“People rarely have chicken for breakfast, sister.” Hina shakes her head, a smile already forming. “Expect a decent amount of grains, fruits, herbs…”

“No spices?” She asks, “As long as they’re no spices, I’ll try them.”

“No spices.” She nods. “But, would you also please try and keep some mind on your manners?”

“Pfft, stupid etiquette.” Lupus kicks the ground mid-step. “Y’know what? Fine. I’ll stick with it, but I’m gonna ask for you all to have a meal  **my**  way one day!” She pouts, forcing a sad and pleading expression, complete with fake tears…

Not that Hina could tell she was faking it. She sighs, “I’ll… ask mother, okay?” Hina wipes the tears away, “Aw, c’mon. Don’t start crying on me. You’re gonna make me look bad.”

Lupus slowly lets the tears stop… because if they were to stop instantly, then that would be suspicious. She sniffles a few more times and slowly nods, “O-okay… so, can we go eat now?”

“Uh-huh!”

Lupus smiles, though internally it’s more of a smug smile. Oh… it’s a good thing they can’t tell the difference. “I’ve had a few fruits back in the pack. They were normally really small and round-ish. Kinda like…” She parts her fingers a relatively short distance, “And tough, had to crack them open.”

“Nuts?” Hina asks.

“Oh, I dunno what they’re called. All I needed to know is that they were safe to eat. The oldest bit…” She manages to stop herself from finishing that word off, “Wolfskin knew the differences between all the plants.”

“What all did they teach you?”

She hums, “Well, I learned to disarm traps on my own. As for what they taught me? How to howl, knowing the difference between howls, what certain emotions smell like, how to hunt, and mating.”

“Uh, what?” She asked, “They… taught you…?”

“Huh? Nah. The alpha just pointed out the scents involved. It’s… intense, very thick. But, it also smells really nice, like it warms my body nice and…”

“Alright, please stop.” Hina pleads, “It’s just… no, nevermind.”

“Okay.” Lupus shrugs it off. “Then… not much else. We didn’t need to know a lot of stuff. All decisions went through the alpha.”

“So… this ‘alpha. Was he like a King?” She asks, trying to wrap her head around Wolfskin details. “And… that’s it? What about his children? His wife?”

Lupus shakes her head, “His pups, not his children. His mate, not his wife. The alpha leads alone. Though, my pack was a slight exception. One is the oldest female Wolfskin, she had some call in if a specific set of herbs needs to be brought in. The second was… me, actually. I could freely leave and enter the dens to go out and disarm traps… and if I needed extra time, I could request it.”

“So… your pack didn’t adhere to…”

“‘Ad...here’?” She echoes.

“Follow.”

Lupus scrunches her face, “Then why didn’t you just say that in the first place?!”

“Having a larger vocabulary is a sign of higher education. Royals are expected to know a lot of the more complicated topics.”

“...that’s stupid.”

She chuckles, “Hey, I’m not saying I agree with it. I’d rather spend my time with my naginata.” She shrugs it off. “I’m sure Ryoma and Takumi would agree, too.”

“Hina? Am I expected to do this ‘higher education’, too?”

Hina pauses, “I’m sure mother would want you to.” She rubs the back of her neck, “And considering we’re currently not at war, she even might push for it.”

“Alright, well… how often do you use that knowledge?”

“Uh… not often.”

“Then why teach it in the first place?!” She crosses her arms, “I’m not learning it.”

“Sister… if mother asks you...”

“I’m not learning it.” She stubbornly repeats, “It’s a waste of time and energy. You humans wouldn’t know about saving the most resources…”

A silence covers them as Lupus realizes what exactly she said. “...‘You’ humans?” Hina visibly recoils, “Do you… not see us as family? Would you really rather to… leave us?” The fire in her eyes seems to die down some, “Sister, I… I know I said things I shouldn’t have before our spars, but gods… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. About keeping you from the pack.”

“W-wait… big sister!” Lupus counters, “I… I didn’t mean to say that! It’s just… I got a little angry and I wasn’t thinking.”

Hina only nods, before she resumes walking, yet...

Somehow that hurts even worse than Hina arguing with her.

_“Sister…?”_  Lupus asked Vella as she was chewing on a bone. She’s been strangely distant, even not bothering with sniffing.

_“...”_  Still she didn’t respond, but… Ears down, tail still, muscles tense. Which combination was that again… anger? No, too intense, besides… she wasn’t flashing her canines. Wary? No… her muscles wouldn’t be so tense.  _“Frustration.”_  Vella spoke.  _“...some hurt.”_

_“About…?”_  Lupus moved closer,  _“If you wanna talk…”_

_“What do you dream about?”_  Vella suddenly became defensive.

_“Day-to-day life in the pack. Why?”_

_“Really? Are you so sure?”_  She glares at her,  _“How about what things would’ve been like if you weren’t with us? If you were raised human?”_

_“D-don’t say that!”_  Did she ever? No… she can’t remember dreaming about that.  _“Vella, sister…”_

_“Sometimes… sometimes I do wish you were born Wolfskin. Other times, I’d wish the packs could get together and start killing off humans. Then there are the ones where I want_ **_us_ ** _to just… be away from everyone else. I… I refuse to lose you to humans. I’d fight tooth and claw to keep you with us.”_

_“...was I really dreaming about that? Leaving the pack?”_  Vella slowly nodded, tears sparkling from her eyes.  _“Well… that’s stupid! I love being here. I don’t wanna leave!”_

_“...What if it did happen, though. I don’t mean you choosing to leave. What if… your real family came? What if…”_

_“Then do what you said you were going to do, sister.”_  Lupus cuts her off,  _“I will_ **_always_ ** _want to be with the pack. Or… even just you and Keaty, I’d be fine with that. Fight with your all. I… I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you, too. And… and if they try to take me then… they’re stupid! I’d show them how much I’m staying here because… because I’ll fight them, too!”_

Ears raised, tail wagging, her muscles relax,  _“Then I will. I’d stain my body with human blood if that’s what it takes. If you asked me to, I’d kill them all.”_

Lupus hesitates for a moment, while looking at Hina’s back. Would… is Vella still wanting to hold that promise? Things changed. Lupus  **did**  go back on her word, she ended up  **wanting**  to leave, but… she needed to get stronger. But, there’s something else she can’t deny…

She spent  **a lot**  of time here. How long does it take to train in the sword? What would happen if Vella were here? Would she believe that her sister has been captured? That she is forced to be here? Lupus shivered as she began imagining Vella upholding her promise. She could literally see the gashes and bites all across Hina’s body, the blood dripping, her life fading. The same for the others…

Lupus needs to make sure she gets to Vella first.

* * *

The rest of the walk was in silence. Lupus sure didn’t know what to say, since apparently there were more human things she needed to learn. They enter the dining hall, there were only a few up this early… excluding the servants, that is.

Superman and Hana are two of them. The former is wide awake, the latter looks like she just crawled out of bed. “Good morning, Subaki, Hana.” Hina greets them.

“Another early rise, Princess Hinoka?” Superman asks, “And for you too, Princess Corrin?”

“Goof… mornin’, La...dy oka.” Hana mutters from her spot, then yawns.

“Um… if you’re that tired, then why not get some more sleep in?” Hina asks, clearly concerned.

“Challenge… won’t…” She forces herself up.

“She wanted to prove that she could go through an entire day like I do.” Superman informs the others, “So I did what I normally do… except I had to wake her up. We’ve only been up for about an hour now.”

“Miss Hana… your coffee…” A Maid walks in, “Would you care for anything else?”

“No… thank you.” Hana raises the cup, which contains a midnight black liquid… but there was only one thing truly certain about it.

“Why are you drinking waste?” Lupus asks… conveniently right as Hana took a sip. She coughs, and some of that black garbage comes right back out.

“Ah… hot! I-I’m awake! Gods…” Superman hands her a napkin, “Whew…” She takes a breath.

“Sister…” Hina sighs.

“What?”

“That is called coffee.”

“And what’s it made of?”

“Grounded coffee beans and boiling water.”

“It looks bad. It smells bad... so it must taste bad.” Lupus concludes. “I can see why it wakes you up. I’m sure you could wake anyone up if you fed them dung.” Thankfully for Hana, she wasn’t taking another sip when Lupus said that.

Superman chuckles, “Well, it’s a good thing I don’t need coffee.”

“See? He gets it.” She gestures towards Superman.

“Ugh, well…” Hana downs the vile liquid, “I’m going to go train and…”

“Train? Hana, that is  **not**  what I do after breakfast.” Superman cuts her off.

“Alright then, what’s next?”

“Inventory, discarding broken weapons and armor, repairing the ones we can, and organizing it all.”

“Wh-what?! You… You do  **all**  of that… before training?” Hana asks.

“Well no… there’s more than that before training, actually.” He starts as they walk off, “I also go to the stables and make sure all of the beasts there are groomed and…” His voice slowly lowers until he is out of earshot.

Lupus scoffs, “...’beasts’.”

“Sister?”

“They aren’t ‘just beasts’. They’re smarter than people think.”

“I know. Every rider knows that.”

Lupus narrows her eyes, “Still smarter than you think.”

“You sure? I understand my Pegasus very well. Sure, we may not talk like we’re doing now, but she  **does**  understand me.” She sits down, Lupus not too far behind.

“Big sister. I’m sorry for earlier.” She quickly says, “For that ‘you humans’ thing. It’s… I need to say something.” She licks her lips, her mouth suddenly feeling so dry.

“And that is?”

“Do… you remember how you told me you’d fight to keep me here?”

She nods, “Yeah, and I was acting rash. I promise I won’t deny what you want. If you truly…”

“You’d probably die, then.”

“Uh… what?”

“Vella won’t have the same reserves. She’s always been terrified of losing me, and if she finds out that I haven’t returned when I could, after I’m strong enough to defend the pack, then… she’ll take it really bad.”

“That’s… well, what if you told her that you chose to…”

“ **No** !” Lupus snaps back, “You don’t realize how much that would hurt her! Do… do any of you realize how tough this is for me?! All my life, I was raised with the thought of ‘humans are bad. Humans are greedy. Do not trust humans.’ I believed it, all of it. The alpha knows what’s best for the pack,” No… no he doesn’t. Seta pointed that out, “So I trust him. Vella and the others though? Especially Vella and Keaty? They won’t hesitate to fight for me… to save me.” She takes a breath, “Vella promised me many years ago that she would gladly stain her entire body in human blood, she would gladly kill as many as it takes to keep me with her.”

A pause, then she asks several questions Lupus wasn’t expecting, “What would you do then, sister? What if there actually came a day where you  **had**  to choose? What if you couldn’t have both? Where would you go?”

Not fair, not fair! “I… can’t answer that. I love the pack. I love my family. I can’t just discard one or the other.” A pause, “Alright fine. Big sister, what would  **you**  do if I went back with the pack?  **If** .”

Her eyes go downcast, and any earlier vigor fades, “It would hurt me like no other wound… but, if that is what you wanted, then I’d let you.” A pause, “What would the pack do if you chose us?”

“Aside from Vella and Keaty? Most would just leave and forget, there’s no use on dwelling if they could keep me. But, for my Wolfskin brother and sister? Well, like I said, I have no doubt they’d react violently.” Lupus kicks the stone beneath her, “I don’t think I’m leaving them Hina… no matter what. At least… at least you all are safe here, they’re not.”

“Sister… alright. Just know that… you are always welcome here, no matter what.” She gives her a smile.

Lupus returns a smile, though it’s smaller and lacking in true happiness, because yes… she would probably, in the end, choose the pack, but there are some things that are constantly gnawing at her, things that she still wants to be around. Her family, for one. Seta is playing a large role in that… even Ka-da and Silky, as they would definitely be ‘kill on sight’ if they were to visit.

Why does there have to be so much need to kill?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear… it seems as if things have been going steadily more downhill. First, Hina’s decision to keep her family together negatively impacts Lupus, and now Lupus not only referred to her blood-family as ‘you humans’, but it’s also revealed that Vella made her a very blood-filled promise. And on top of all that, it seems Lupus would, in fact, choose the pack over her family.
> 
> ...Maybe it’d be better if Lupus spent some time with another family member? One who isn’t so hot-headed and blunt?


	20. You Humans...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, well… can’t really say much here this time. Except that… I’m prepping for plot.
> 
> Canon name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.
> 
> …
> 
> And Orochi = Viper.

**** She needed space. It wasn’t because of she didn’t like her family, it’s because she knows she’s reaching her limit. As unfair as that question was, Lupus knows it was one she needs an answer to. Yes, she told Hina she’d go back to the pack, but… What about Seta? Lupus groans, why do things have to be so difficult to think about?!

Maybe she should just go now, at least she knows she’ll be happy in the pack. She’s mostly completed her task, all she needs to do is to learn to fight in her dragon form… and that won’t take long. She could even start having those rough and fast playfights with the others now! And she can go back to disarming traps, and she would…

…

Leave Seta behind. She would end up hurting all of her family, the people who are so happy for having their sister back. She’s been gone for nearly eighteen years and she just wants to turn around and leave them? Possibly for good? The alpha isn’t just going to let her travel from there to here freely. How would Saku react? Lupus would think she’d break down, she’s too gentle, too nice… too fragile. Hina? It would surely damage her forever, no matter how many times she says she’ll ‘respect her decision’. Takumi? Ryoma? Mother?

Lupus plants her back against one of the walls. Too much, too much. Space, she needs that space, but where? She’d really rather not see anyone right now. Not even Silky or Ka-da. She takes a breath and tries to will herself calm, her eyes dart around. She touches her Dragonstone, feeling a sort of calm from it. Yet, that roar is also there.

Hunt?

She’s hunted before, but she always had to be incredibly careful, as she could only do so much with her hands and that flimsy sword. Nodding to herself, she walks to the outside, looking to go to the forest.

All she needs is some time, some space.

No, she knows she just wants to go back to the pack…

And just leave her family behind?

She wants her simpler life back. Sure, it was at times, incredibly difficult in the pack, but she didn’t have to have all of these things to deal with.

Seta keeps popping up, she can’t just abandon her.

Yes, no, yes, no. Wants to, doesn’t want to. Wolfskin pack, blood-family.

“Lady Corrin?” Who? New voice, new scent. Lupus turns to see a purple-hair woman standing some few feet from her, one finger is twirling her hair, the other hand is holding some sort of small item. “My name is Orochi.” She smiles and takes a step forward. “You seem troubled.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Yes, she does! “Besides, I know what I want.” No, she doesn’t! “So, leave me alone.” No, help her!

“Oh, I’m aware of your problem, and I knew you’d come this way.” She smirks… “I am a Diviner, Lady Corrin. I can use my cards…” She fans out those small items, “And I can get predictions for the future. I’m here because you need to talk.”

Too smooth, too easy. “The future?” Lupus repeats. “The pack, how are they?”

She frowns for a half-moment, before plucking a card from her grip, “An early warning… I won’t be able to foresee  **all**  of their well-beings.”

Of course… “Then do Vella and Keaty.”

She mutters some sort of phrase, before seeming satisfied with a nod, then placing the card back, and putting the deck away, “Keaton is holding up well, it seems he has recently gotten control of a… um, ‘new form’?”

Lupus smiles, “Wolfsegger.” The determining factor of if a Wolfskin will shift into a… well, Wolfskin or a Wolfsegger is entirely dependant on how strong that Wolfskin is. So, that would mean that Keaty is now at least as strong as the alpha. That kind of information easily brings her mood up, “Okay. And Vella?”

Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump. Lupus can pick up her heart beating just a bit too fast. Her smile fades and Lupus is glaring, “Concerned, to say the least.” Orochi seems to buckle under the intensity of her gaze, “Wondering when you’ll return.” Well… that does sound something Vella would think. Vella has always been far more attached to Lupus and Keaty, even by Wolfskin standards.

…

You never know if today is your last day back in the mountains. It’s difficult living there, with death being considered almost ‘normal’. The pack would have been lucky to make it an entire year without one of them falling to one thing or the other. Even with Lupus’s skill in disarming traps, there would still be the one of the unlucky few.

She fears the day when Keaty or Vella fall into that list.

No, not fear. She’s terrified.

“Okay.” Is all Lupus replied with. She  **wants**  to return to the pack, she  **wants**  to be with Keaty and Vella… but she knows she won’t be able to simply return here. The alpha won’t let her have that kind of power. “Thanks, I guess…” She’s no better off than earlier.

“Lady Corrin?” Orochi asks as she began walking away, “If there’s anything I can do to help you out…”

Can she do anything? “No, you can’t… Viper.” Too convenient, too slippery… she’s hiding something.

“Uh, Viper?” Viper echoed, but Lupus had already walked off.

Not enough, she needs something else to focus on.

* * *

Lupus walked the halls without thinking, no true destination in mind.  _“Sometimes… I just wish you were born Wolfskin…”_  Lupus sniffs, “Me too, sister.” She mutters to herself. Maybe… she should go outside for a bit? Run? But, what if she ends up encountering Silky again? Ka-da? If he ever does return? Lupus touches her Dragonstone. There’s no need to hunt, since there’s plenty of food. She’s pretty sure that Red or Hina or Takumi or any of their retainers are in the training grounds.

It occurs to her how little there is to do without the interference of family, friends, and retainers. If this were any other of her earlier days here, then that’d be a great feeling, but now? She just  **wants**  to get out… and not run the risk of getting in Silky’s or Ka-da’s senses.

…

Maybe she should just return to the pack? Wait, no! That’d hurt her family more than anything… how would she feel, if Vella and Keaty just left? “I’m… so confused…” She whines. Her thoughts continue to conflict with each other, always contradicting, never agreeing on a single solution.

She has yet to stop walking.

“Lady Corrin?” Her ears perk up as she detects that silent movement she associated with that man sneaking around her all those days ago.

So she growls. “Stop. Hiding.”

“My apologies.” Into her view comes a forest-green hair Ninja. “I was concerned for your well-being, so I followed you… I’m sorry if that bothers you.”

“Then go follow someone else.” She spits out, “I’m not gonna talk.”

“Even if I offer my services? Is there anything you need?” He pushes.

A pause, “I wanna be alone for day. Away from everyone else, I wanna do things alone, without worrying if a family member is right around the corner… or any of their retainers. Can you do that?”

“I know of several highly secluded sp…”

“‘Se… cluded?” She echoes.

“Hidden.”

“Then why didn’t you just say that in the first place!? I hate all of these ‘higher education’ words that  **you**   **humans…** ” A silence reigns over the area… she did it again. ‘You humans’. “No, nevermind. I don’t need help.” She turns and walks away.

“Lady Corrin, I…” He takes a few steps before stopping…

Lupus formed her lance, her eyes are showing that lurking dragon right beneath the surface, her teeth even look far sharper. “I. Don’t. Need. Help.” She growls, “Leave. Me. Alone.”

He bows his head, “As you command.”

The lance fades, but that danger still lurks as she storms off… brick giving in to the force of her steps. She grits her teeth… Why did she have to go and say that again? Does… does Lupus even consider herself a human, then? Sha’s a half-dragon. Her mother even said that she was born with scales, rather than skin. Maybe… she’s more than half-dragon? Three-fourths dragon? Maybe she’s actually like the dragon-version of a Wolfskin or Kitsune? Maybe she’s a full-blooded dragon… somehow.

Maybe, even if she isn’t, she’d rather consider herself a pure-blooded dragon. While yes, it’s obviously impossible, since her mother can’t use a Dragonstone, but…

Wait, if there’s never been another one like Lupus, then how would they know about the Dragonstone in the first place?

…

She’s being lied to. Lupus nods to herself, managing to convince herself of this newest idea. Vella, Keaty, and the alpha are right… humans will trample over each other to get what they want. So… who cares if Lupus is really family? They’re obviously telling most of the truth, but then cover up other spots with carefully crafted lies. Even… even family aren’t excluded from their greed… their…

She’s leaving.

Lupus turns on her heel and makes one more stop before she does do that… She needs to get her little bag with all of her treasured items. However, as she was making her way to her old room, the sound of loud, frantic footsteps echoed down the halls. She barely managed to avoid a man who was running as if a pack of Wolfskin was on his trail.

“P-Pardon me, ma’am! I-I… need to get our Queen… now!” He shouts as he rounds another corner, “M-Message for… Queen Mikoto!”

She tilts her head, letting curiosity get the better of her… in a bit. First, she’s still getting her bag. It took her a few minutes, but she managed to locate it, she goes to grab her bag, then follows that frantic man’s scent trail.

Oh… if only she knew the severity of the message that man had in store…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun, dun, dun! Super-ominous cliff-hanger! What could possibly be so important that it would greatly affect even Lupus? Will it be enough to keep her in Shirasagi? Or will she just discard it as another ‘human problem’? Find out next time on, ‘Corrin, of the Wolfskin’!
> 
> …
> 
> Okay, all drama aside. The overall plot will be resuming next chapter… before Lupus could even spend time with her entire family once more. Real life can be so cruel, right?


	21. Wound up to the Breaking Point

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… plot? I’m sure a lot of you would like more awkwardness with Lupus and her slowly sliding into learning and adapting to human habits, but… it wouldn’t be too ‘realistic’ for the rest of the world to be at a standstill while Lupus does something like having a bottle of Silky’s saliva and pouring it onto her bowl of fruit during dinner… or something.
> 
> Canon name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.
> 
> …
> 
> And Takumi is now Tako. Completely genius, he just turned Mexican on us. Now I just gotta imagine him with a stereotypical Mexican mustache and a sombrero.

**** With her ears perked, Lupus kept a fair distance from this ‘messenger’. She can’t help but have this feeling that she needs to hear what he’s gotta say…

It’s obviously thing a ‘human’ thing, so she shouldn’t bother.

But… she’s also a very curious half-dragon.

Shaking her head, she continues to follow him, though it wasn’t long until he ended up at a room that she hasn’t been to yet. “...sure? What could they hope to accomplish?” A man, but not the messenger.

“It  **is**  magic-based, after all.” Mother? “In theory it could work, but the man-power required to overcome it is… gods.”

“In theory, yes… but we have our own conduits for a reason.” The not-messenger says.

“Is there anything else?” Mother asked.

This time it is the messenger, “The scouts couldn’t assume the purpose, but…” Lupus can practically feel him fidgeting. “Nohr has also been sending groups out into the mountains.”

Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump. “The mountains?” The not-messenger echoes, “The barrier has no secret passage, if they’re looking to find an unprotected spot. Queen Mikoto, do you have any assumptions?” A pause, “My Queen?” Mother replies with something so low, that Lupus can’t even pick it up, “I… understood. Sir, you are dismissed. Rest for the day.” Shortly after, the messenger opens the door and leaves.

Lupus hesitates, suddenly much more curious. She needs to know, she needs to know… what about the mountains? “Oh, hello my dear daughter.” Mikoto exits next, with that not-messenger beside her. “I don’t believe I have formally introduced you yet…” She gently clears her throat, “Daughter, this is my adviser, Yukimaru. Yukimaru, this is one of my daughters, Corrin.”

“It’s a pleasure to see you alive and well, Lady Corrin.” He smiles.

She most certainly does not return the smile, “What about the mountains near Nohr?” The other two startle, perhaps not expecting she was listening in.

“I assure you, Lady…” Yukimaru starts.

“Don’t lie to me, h…” Again! She almost did it again! ‘Human’.

“No, I’m not going to keep it from her.” Mother interrupts, “Come inside.” She directs Lupus back inside of the room they were in. There is a huge table in the center, and a large ‘map’ on it. “There have been reports of Nohrian movement.”

“Which is frankly absurd.” The advisor scoffs, “I’m aware you don’t remember, but… Queen Mikoto is upholding a barrier which completely negates the will to fight from any Nohrian.”

“Abs...urd? Neg...ates?” Lupus echoes.

“Crazy to even consider the idea. And to stop.” Mother supplies. “Don’t worry dear daughter, I’ll get you caught up on…”

“I’m not going to learn all of those words!” She quickly bites back.

Mother holds back a sigh, “As I said, the barrier is still magic-based. If they apply enough force, it can still break down.” She repeated her point from earlier. “But this isn’t what she asked for.” She gestures towards the map, the mountains dividing Nohr and Hoshido. “The scouts reported that the Nohrians are scouring the mountains.” A short pause, “They are starting from the main road and expanding outward…”

No…

“Which I can’t fathom the reasoning…” The man starts. “Um, Lady Corrin?”

“I… I…” The pack, the pack!

“Shh, take a breath.” Mother coos. “Are these the spots where…?”

Lupus nods, if a bit frantically, “The alpha had the strongest pack… and we… we were closest to the main road.” She then looks right at her, “You’re gonna help, right? I  **can’t** … I came so… but now I’m not there…”

“Daughter… reports from the border are at least one two days old, though I can guess one day if he rushed here so quickly and that’s nothing to say if this was an extended observation.” Mother frowns.

Yukimaru remains silent, as if knowing he can’t really contribute, “Then…” She grips her bag and fumbles in her bag, retrieving that one piece Keaty gave her before she left. Though, just like it has been, his scent is completely gone. She rubs the fur, regardless. “K-Keaty…” She sniffs.

“Corrin?” Mother approaches, “I…”

“My name is  **Lupus** !” She shouts back, tears rolling down, her Dragonstone glowing. “And… the… pack.” She chokes out.

“They won’t get killed, Lupus.” Mother calmly states. “Especially Keaty and Vella. If they saw they can’t win, I think they would rather live another day, right? You can’t strive to be the strongest if you get killed from an excess of pride.”

Her words ‘click’, she’s… right. If the pack was faced with a force they couldn’t best, they’d leave. As hard as it would be to find a new den, it would be more reasonable than continuing to fight, but… “No. Not all of them.” She shakes her head, “The alpha and a few others would probably end up staying behind.” Which means, and Keaty… he just got…

“Well, I would also think Keaty would leave with the others, then.”

“Viper said he just got a ‘new form’, that would mean he’s a Wolfsegger… so he’s at least as strong as the alpha. The alpha and him probably stood their ground together, so the rest could leave!”

“Viper…?” Mother softly echoes, but shakes her head, “Daughter, my point is that, even if none of the others did make it, Keaty and Vella would.”

No, she doesn’t understand! Why would she? “Can’t have a pack with two Wolfskin and a half-dragon, mother!” She rounds on her, if a bit less aggressively than earlier. They’re… dead. As strong as they are, there’s no way they could hold off several well-armed squads, especially if Nohr’s King is with them… the alpha never had such a vicious wound before, not until he was struck with the King’s axe. Wolfskin don’t have these ‘Festals’ and ‘Concoctions’, it can take weeks for one to properly recover… if Silky and Ka-da weren’t treated at the clinic here after Lupus lost control,  **if**  they even did survive, it would have been months before they could do anything intense… instead of a single day.

Lupus holds the fur close to her as she falls to her rear-end. “Is there anything I can do for you?” Mother asks.

Lupus wanted to go and see them… Lupus wanted to be left alone… but, she doesn’t really know what she wants now. “I’m gonna go sleep.” She ups and walks out.

“We’re here for you, daughter. All of us. We’re family, after all.” Mother calls out.

* * *

Lupus didn’t exactly tell her mother the truth, she wasn’t about to go to sleep, but… she doesn’t know what to do. She hasn’t been so conflicted in her life. She felt something she hasn’t felt in such a high degree for a while now…

Lupus felt fear.

Fear that is gnawing away at her already delicate mentality. The crack that formed back when Hina asked ‘Who would you really side with?’ Since then, it seems life just came at her all at once, more and more hits without proper time to rest.

She’s going to bounce back and snap if this keeps up.

Thump, thump, thump. “I  **want**  to be alone!” She rounds on what seems like nothing but air… but she knows better.

Kaze appears… Lupus has adapted to some of their tricks. Constantly being stalked as she is, she can easily tell when one of them is following her. “I’m making sure you’re safe, Lady Cor…”

“My. Name. Is. Lupus!” She cuts him off.

“My apologies. I’m making sure you’re safe, Lady…”

“Stop adding ‘Lady’!” She growls.

“Of course. I’m making sure you’re safe, Lupus.”

“Why?” She asks.

Thump, thump, thump, “With all due respect, regardless of whether you think yourself royalty… you are still to have retainers. So…”

“You’ve been stalking me so you can ask that?!”

“I’m concerned for your health, Lupus. It pains me to see you in such distress, but… I’ll admit. I’m at a loss. I don’t know how the Wolfskin comforted you, and I’m worried that I’d cross a threshold that…”

“Thre...sh...old?” She slowly echoes.

“Boundary that…”

“Bound...ary?”

“Line.”

“Then why did you say that in the first place! Are… are you purposely doing that?! Using these ‘big’ words that Wolfskin don’t know? That they have no use for?!” She growls again, the danger within her eyes being close, so close… “Is the pack not smart enough for you humans?”

…

A third time. She’s done it a third time within, what? A day? “It was never my intention to anger you or de…” He stops himself, “Make myself seem better than the pack. But, this is exactly what I meant. I don’t know how to comfort you, and…”

“Ask Seta. She knows… she’s literally the only one who gets me.” But… Lupus doesn’t want to see her right now.

“Thank you for your recommendation, Lupus.” Kaze smiles, “I’ll go do just that.”

…

Stupid human words. Lupus hesitates before resuming her walk. There it is again, ‘human’. She’s… half-dragon and half- **human** ! She needs to stop separating herself from humans and… Lupus groans, she needs something simple and something easy. Something that will provide a decent distraction and…

Saku.

* * *

Following the scent trail of flowery sweet, Lupus ends up… not at the clinic, actually. Instead, she arrives at a door. Saku’s room, she assumes. Lupus knocks on the door, a short squeak follows and, “O-O-One m-moment!” Yep, that’s her, alright. The door slowly opens up and Saku pokes her head out, her face instantly lighting up when she sees her big sister, “Big s-s-sister!” She opens the door, “D-d-did you need anything?”

Taking a breath, she nods, “I need something to distract me and… well, do you have anything simple and relaxing to do?”

“Can I do your h-h-hair?” Is the first question that comes out of her mouth.

“‘Do’... my hair?” She echoes. “Do what?”

Saku gasps, “You’ve never had someone put your hair up in a ponytail or anything?”

Ponytail? Oh right, “Like what Tako has?” Lupus tilts her head, surprised at the fact she just gave Takumi a nickname without thinking about it. “Tako… Tako… I like that.”

“Tako?” Saku echoes.

Lupus nods, smiling, “Takumi is Tako.” A short pause, “But, sure… you can, uh ‘do’ my hair.”

Another gasp, “Al-alright, uh… t-take a seat in fr-front of the mirror and I’ll g-g-g-get the supplies.” Following her sister’s advice, Lupus walks in and sits in front of a large mirror…

Then gags. “Too many scents.”

“O-Oh… sorry.” Saku quickly starts gathering all of these small glass containers. “I-I kn-know you have s-s-sensitive senses… so i-i-if I’d known y-y-y-you were coming…” As she was putting things away, something slips from her grasp, not that she noticed.

But Lupus did. And being the curious being she is, picks it up. It’s… soft, some kind of cloth. “What’s this?” It has an extremely thick scent to it…

Saku’s scent. It’s so heavy, like it’s some sort of washcloth.

“ **Ah** !” Saku nearly screams, “O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oh gods…” Her face lights up a brilliant red, “U-u-u-u-uh… you d-d-d-d-d-d-don’t know wh-wh-wh-what that i-i-i-i-is?” Lupus shakes her head… if she did know, then she wouldn’t have asked… but she keeps that gripe to herself. “Th-th-then how d-d-d-do you d-d-deal with… ‘it’?” She  **snatches**  the cloth from Lupus, before bagging it and putting it in a shelf thing.

“It’?” Lupus echoes.

“The monthly ‘f-f-female’ thing.”

Lupus tilts her head, “Hina mentioned something similar when I walked into the training ground without putting on those ‘undergarments’ that were laid out.”

“I-i-i-i-it’s where y-y-y-y-y-you start, uh, bl-bl-bl-bleeding… ‘down there’.” She flicks her eyes downward.

“...I’m supposed to bleed from my core?” Lupus asks, shamelessly looking under her own shorts. “Never done that… neither have any of the bitches in the pack.” She looks back at... “Besides, even… Saku?” Did… did she really just pass out? “Sakuuuu?” Lupus gets out of the chair and pokes her little sister’s cheek.

Yep, out cold.

Shrugging, she picks her up with almost no effort, then lies her in her bed and… actually, maybe Lupus is tired? Well, surely snuggling family members is normal, right? They do have those tight hugs, after all. Nodding to herself, Lupus gets into Saku’s bed and brings the covers over them, she then snuggles up next to her little sister. “Good night, Saku…” Is it even nighttime? Well, there’s only one thing for certain…

It’s getting hot in here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Lupus is undergoing a crisis here, as the ‘you human’ problem hasn’t gotten any better.
> 
> Oh dear, it seems like Saku got overwhelmed there... and that last line… so, whose guessing that Saku is going to wake up to her big sister snuggling her while Lupus is naked? Think she’ll end up passing out again if she does?
> 
> So, Nohr is magically banging on the barrier? It makes sense to me. For one, I doubt Mikoto holds that barrier up completely on her own… it does cover all of Hoshido, after all, and it isn’t just a shell, it has to cover the interior as well. So, it’s my headcanon that she has ‘magical conduits’ of sorts scattered around Hoshido, things that amplify the magic coming from her to make the barrier, thus reducing the stress of the spell.
> 
> Second, magical barriers are made with… magic. And as far as I’m concerned, all spells can be overcome with brute force, just like a reinforced castle wall. If Garon rounded up enough magi, and built magical conduits, then he could get enough stress on the barrier that Mikoto would be forced to drop it, or else she would risk collapsing from magical exhaustion.
> 
> So, since Garon obviously couldn’t use Corrin and the Plot Sword to kill Mikoto, he instead pools his resources and attempts to bring the barrier down with force…
> 
> But that isn’t enough.
> 
> Let’s not forget that Garon swore he would hunt down and kill the Wolfskin that took Corrin from his own kidnapping attempt. So, now Garon has his magic-based troops assaulting the barrier, while he and a number of others are scouring the mountains, hunting down Wolfskin.
> 
> That leads to the next set of obvious questions: Will Lupus truly be able to stay still? Will her concern for the pack become great enough for her to risk going over to the mountains? Will the pack stand their ground until the very end? Or will they turn tail and run?


	22. Lupus the Half-Dragon, of the Wolfskin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Lupus laughed as she chased Vella across the dens… it’s been an ‘off-season’ as the alpha puts it. The poachers were far and few, mainly evidence by the distinct low amount of traps, not to mention the poachers themselves. This is the time where the alpha would send the Wolfskin out for supplies. The pack would go out en masse to gather berries, herbs, and other non-perishable things. It will give them an edge for when the dangers come back in force.

Now obviously, neither Lupus or Vella are on that duty right now. The ‘sisters’ are far too busy playing around to be considered anything productive…

The alpha is unique indeed, to let this sort of thing happen in the first place.

“Can’t catch me!” Vella shouts, narrowly avoiding another grab from Lupus.

“Yeah, keep tellin’ yourself that!” Lupus kicked up more dirt in an attempt to pin her sister down. “I caught you before, and Imma catch you again!”

“That was yesterday, and this is today!” Vella jumps over a rock… before planting her feet on another one, and using it as a platform to leap from that one.

“And today will be the same as yesterday!” Lupus counters as she bursts into an all-out sprint, closing the distance while Vella is in the air. “C’mere, you!” Vella’s form quickly closed in… and she smirked.

Uh-oh.

Lupus moved out of her way as her Beaststone glows… then stops glowing, effectively fooling Lupus that she was about to shift. “Heh…” Vella pants as she lands, then resumes running.

“Not fair!” She pouts as she restarts her run…

A howl echoes in the distance, causing the two to stop. Loud, almost ear-splitting if they were within a few dozen feet of the source, urgent… Lupus and Vella share a concerned look. “Poachers?” Vella states more than asks, before going towards the source. “Stay here.”

Her heart turns heavy as she watches her sister run off… “...not fair.” She gripes again, “I… can’t fight with you all.” Tears sting her eyes as she sees the glow of her sister’s Beaststone. “I… I want to defend too…”

* * *

“Sister…” Lupus’s eyes glisten as she cries. The pack… they’re in more danger than normal, and she’s… she’s not there. She glances beside her, Saku is still in deep sleep. She must have been more tired than she let on. The Wolfskin-raised half-human half-dragon gets up, nearly throwing the covers off of her, before quickly leaving the room.

She can’t, she can’t. The concern is eating away. It… it doesn’t matter if she’s ‘too late’, she needs to see for herself, she needs to return. With her Dragonstone in its clasp, and her bag securely strapped to her, she walks… then runs… before sprinting. Weaving around the halls of Shirasagi, not letting anyone stop her.

She can’t stay here if the pack is in as much danger as she thinks they are. She… she shouldn’t have relaxed, she should have returned sooner. How many of the pack has fallen to traps?! How many deaths could have been prevented?

Keaty… Vella… the alpha… the eldest bitch. Faces and forms come and go, all the more reason to hurry… faster and faster. She hears grunts and gasps as she twists around people, but she doesn’t actually listen.

They’re just humans, they’re so far removed from the constant dangers. They’ll be fine if she runs off… it’s not like they have to constantly watch over their surroundings for traps and poachers. They have an excess of resources. They have Festals. They have Concoctions.

The Wolfskin don’t. The pack doesn’t have these things.

…

She needs to go back, now. With her resolve set, she makes her way out of the castle, yet no more than a minute after she left, Superman soared down on his Pegasus with his ‘Perfect’ timing. “Ah, Lady Corrin.” He smiles. “Off to the woods again?”

Taking advantage of his assumption, she nods, “I am. Gonna run around.”

He chuckles, “Alright, have fun, Lady Corrin.” With that he flies back into the sky. Smiling to herself, she runs off.

Without as much as a single wave of goodbye.

* * *

How long has it been since Lupus has ran the plains of Hoshido? Since she started traveling here in the first place? She ran a while with the Kitsunes, but that happened more in the forest, rather than the open field.

…

When was the last time she pushed herself? When she took the time to run a long time? Jump around and avoid obstacles? Hefted around heavy objects? Too long, it’s been way too long.

That much was evident when she stopped to catch her breath no more than an hour into her sprint. The… the alpha will be displeased if she returned like this. She somehow got the worst of both, she doesn’t know how to fight in her dragon form, and she’s become unfit. And there’s no way she can gain that fitness back just by sprinting back to the mountains. She growls, then taps into her Dragonstone. She’s gonna learn, she has to learn. She’s… going to at least learn how to run in this form, learn how to not stumble around.

The familiar glow she associates with the Wolfskin shifting applies to her, and the world seems that much smaller once more. She walks around on all fours for a bit, getting a sense of stability, before she attempts to run…

Then skids across the ground as she ends up tripping over her own feet. Growling again, she gets up, and tries again. She makes it about four whole strides before she trips and falls again. “Keep pushing…” She tells herself, her voice echoey. “I need to be better.” She rises. “The pack needs me.” She stamps her feet on the ground, causing small bursts of water to rise up, “They need help… Keaty, Vella.” She restarts her run a third time, stumbling a few times, but managing to keep her speed…

Until she has to turn, to which her balance is thrown off and she falls down once more. “Grr…” This is embarrassing, to say the least. What would Keaty say right now? Seeing Lupus stumbling around and falling like some newborn pup? No, she knows. He’d start snickering, but not actually say anything. Vella would try and comfort her. She shakes her head, rises once more, then starts running, this time intentionally twisting left and right, even though there’s no obstacles. She needs that agility back.

Once more, as her initial running, she keeps falling over, the grass from where she has fallen is being ripped off from the force of her impacts, and instead find a new home on her body. “Not good enough…” She gripes… but she refuses to stay down. Again she gets up, again she runs… again she falls. She keeps repeating until she reliably turns without falling… then she starts adding jumps.

Like a broken recorder, she crashes when she lands, but being as stubborn as she is, keeps getting up. Her draconic body aches, it really hurts in a number of spots, she can even feel some warm blood exit. She’s fallen so many times that even her scales can’t protect her. Still she rises, still she tries. Next step… jumping and turning. She’s going to keep pushing herself.

…

The pack needs her.

* * *

She couldn’t… she couldn’t run the whole way, even in her dragon form. Lupus crashes into the ground once more, heaving breaths, the patches of scales that have received continuous hits from her falling have since torn, her body bleeding in a few spots. “K-K… Vel…” She whines. The mountains  **should**  be within a few hours! She  **should**  be faster than ever…

But the mountains are so far away.

The glow covers her as she shifts back, unable to maintain her draconic form any longer. She lies down, unable to push herself back up again. Her arms and legs are practically pudding. Her fingers scrape into the dirt as she berates her lack of physical activity, how often she lazed around the Castle.

...the influence the humans had on her.

She growls, but she ends up coughing instead… water. She didn’t think it through...again. She needs water, she should’ve brought something to drink in her bag.

Flap, flap, beat… wings? Too large to be a bird. “Gods,  **sister** !?” ...Hina? “What  **were**  you thinking?!” She feels hands roll her over, Hina looks like she’s panicking and… and…

Scents, a mixture she can’t exactly place, but something she can’t get enough of… “Seta?”

“Heeeeey, Lupus~” Seta comes into her vision next, concerned, but… happy. “Kaze came to me and asked how to understand you more, so I asked about his latest conversation with you, it’s a good thing that he remembered what he saw, even if he didn’t knew what it meant… he didn’t need to add about what he overheard with Queen Mikoto’s meeting when I knew better.” Then the smile fades, a frown adorning her face, “You just left…”

Lupus yelps as Hina applies some sort of soothing cream on various parts of her body, “...” Her face remains almost stone-like, her eyes are shining with unshed tears, her body is so tense… but she stays silent.

“Big sister?” Lupus asks, and Hina ends up choking on some air.

“When Setsuna ran to me and… she… had an assumption on what happened, I…” She stops applying the salve and tears stream down her face, “I… I know I said I’d… but, I can’t. I can’t watch you leave us like this.”

Her earlier determination cracked under Hina’s emotional state, but… “The pack needs me.” Lupus’s voice comes out weak.

Hina looks away, conflicted about something, though it’s clear she’s deep in thought. “Lupus?” Seta asks, before grabbing some of the salve Hina was using. “I should’ve done more.” She gently rubs some of that stuff in, “I should’ve tried to get everyone together and explained how you are… what all the little things mean.”

But, she didn’t, did she? Lupus never bothered with that information, she hadn’t thought that Nohr would do the things they were doing now.

What a foolish line of thinking.

“I still need to aid the pack.” She states, “At least you all are safe… you don’t have to look over your shoulders every day for thing that’ll trap and kill all of you.” Feeling returns to her limbs… but now she’s incredibly sore, not to mention the pain that comes with the feeling.

“It’ll take days to round up the troops to send over there.” Hina finally speaks up, “We’re at peacetime, so there’s only certain squads available at the moment.” She takes a breath, “Even if mother did give the order to send a few platoons over to the mountains the second she got the report, it’d be almost a week before they get there.”

Stubbornness rears its head again, “I wasn’t going to wait for them, anyway.” ...But, she spent time sleeping at Saku’s side. “Which is why I left so quickly,” But, she stopped to talk to Kaze. “I’m not staying idle any longer.” She shifted into a dragon and stumbled for a least an hour.

“That’s the Lupus I know~” Seta smiles, with a pause, “...and love.”

Lupus chest tightens… love. That foreign feeling that she first experienced with Seta. Something Wolfskin don’t have. And probably one of the main reasons she was so conflicted with, one of the reasons she hesitated on leaving.

Lupus  **loves**  Seta, too.

“But, I’m not going back on my word.” Hina continues, “I’m not going to stop you from returning to the pack… as long as that is what you want.” Her dimmed fiery eyes meet Lupus’s own wild red ones, “So tell me, look at me and tell me. Do you want to return to the pack, right now?”

The two sisters lock gazes, and even though Hina’s fire is dimmed, she currently has a hold to them, demanding that Lupus only looks at her. “I’m going to return to the pack, big sister.”

Satisfied, but saddened, Hina nods. “Alright.” She grabs and applies more of that salve to Lupus’s scrapes. “I’ll let our family know… so that way they aren’t clueless.” She takes a deep breath, “I’m… gonna miss you.” Tears fall once more, “But… at least I can tell myself that you  **chose**  this, rather than being  **stolen**  from us.” Hina then does something that seems so far away from her…

She yanks Lupus into a hug, muttering about ‘Corrin’, her little sister, her grip tightens.

One last hug, it seems.

Seta tilts her head at them, “Say hi for Keaty and Vella for meeeee~” She nearly sings.

Another pause, “Setsuna… if you want to…?”

“Can’t.” Seta cuts her off, “The pack won’t accept humans. It doesn’t matter if Lupus favors one.”

Oh, “Yeah, they won’t let her join, Hina.”

“...Should’ve known better.” Hina bitterly chuckles. “And I’m also assuming you won’t ever be able to leave again? Even for a visit?”

“Not without being removed from the pack, no.” Lupus honestly replies.

“Hey… I’ll always love you.” Hina speaks with a certain definite finality. “Be safe… and kick some Nohrian butt for me, alright?”

Lupus tilts her head, “Is there a reason why you want me to ‘kick their butts’?”

For a moment, Hina seems confused, “Hina means that she wants you to kill some for her.” Seta supplies.

“Oh…” Lupus nods, understanding, “Okay, I can do that!” And for the first time since this encounter, Lupus smiled. “And I love you with all of the sisterly affection I can manage!”

…

Then Lupus takes two steps and falls down, her legs far too sore. “How about we keep you company for the night, too?” Hina offers. “I can fly back to the Castle real quick and let our family know… maybe I can get some food, too?”

A short pause, then Lupus nods, “I’d like that, big sister.” She glances at Seta, then flushes slightly, “I’d really like that.”

 


	23. One with the Pack (Again)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Lupus yawns, blinks, and slowly rises from her sleeping position. She then stretches out her legs… yep, still a bit sore. She lazily looks around the campsite, Hina is still quite asleep, as is her Pegasus, Seta is a few inches from Lupus, bobbing her head to and fro… doing her best to stay awake, it seems. “Good morning, Lupus~” Seta lazily sings. “Didya sleep well?” She turns her head, looking about as sleepy as she sounds.

“Didn’t dream…” Lupus starts off, “Pretty good, I guess. What about you?”

“I didn’t.” She frowns, “Hina insisted that you get a full-night’s sleep, so we split the night watch between us.” She shrugs, “And I got the second watch.” The frown turns into a smile, “How’s your legs?”

She shakes her legs, “Good enough.” Lupus nods, then looks off into the distance, “Well, I should…” Her heart starts aching before she can even finish ‘should go now.’

Seta tilts her head, “The pack needs you more than us…” Yet again, without fail, Seta reads her. Then the Archer rises and walks towards Lupus, “And… I’ll always love you, y’know? Even if you can’t come back.”

Lupus takes a step forward, “And I’ll… love you, too.” Why does it have to hurt so much?! “Oh!” She suddenly exclaims, reaching into her bag, “I… got something for you!” Several moments later and she pulls out two vibrant red feathers… pulled from Silky’s mouth. “One for me… and one for you.” She extends one of them with a smile. While it obviously isn’t slick with the vixen’s saliva… it has hardened over, making the individual strands rougher.

It still smells really sweet, too. “Aw…” Seta gives her that beautiful lazy smile, “It’s beautiful! Thank you, Lupus!” Without missing a beat, Seta puts the tip of the feather underneath her hairband, securing it fairly well.

In response, Lupus places her feather underneath her own hairband, “...I’ll miss you.” The air turns somber once more as she takes up her hands, “And… I… mmph!” Whatever she had to say was cut off by the feeling of Seta’s lips on her own.

Maybe it was better if she didn’t say anything at all, then?

Instead, they just pulled each other closer, wanting to have more… more before they  **have**  to pull apart. Mouths part, tongues dance, light breathing turns to heavy panting, faces flushed, hands travel and…

“Ah!” Hina shrieks. “That’s… really?”

The two pull apart, “Good morning, Hina~” Seta sings, as if she wasn’t just caught in an intense kiss with the Sky Knight’s little sister.

“Gods… out of all the things i could’ve waken up to…” She gripes, before shaking her head. “So… you gotta go now, huh?” A frown follows, “I’m gonna miss you, sister.”

“Yeah, gotta get back to the pack… I need to make sure they’re okay.” They won’t be… things are never just ‘okay’. “I’ll miss you, too.” She adds after a second’s delay. “I… oof!”

Hina pulled her into a tight hug, “Be safe, sister…” Her voice cracks.

As safe as she can get, anyway. “Alright.” Lupus replies with, “I  **do**  need to get… thank you.” With the, what should be, the final embrace, Lupus taps into her Dragonstone and sprints off towards the mountains… but not before she lets out a roar for those two. That roar probably held more emotion for Lupus than whatever she could actually say. She’s confident that Seta will be able to appreciate it for what it is.

* * *

Lupus’s legs might still be sore, but her stubbornness to make sure she can actually move around just fine kept her from falling at all. She could tell she  **is**  better in this form… the objects around her seemed to zip by faster and faster. Her wings are planted onto her body, so that the wind isn’t slowing her down as much…

Oh yes, she is running fast enough for the  **wind**  to be a problem.

It won’t keep her from the pack, of course, but it will end up slowing her down a bit.

Stride after stride, the area around her gives way to a completely new section no less than a minute apart. At least she doesn’t feel as tired… she could even say she feels more energized… adrenaline? Or is her dragon form really just  **that**  better? She’d like to think it’s the second one.

Lupus kicks up more dirt as she starts to already improve on how she’s running, her round of sprinting starts to cover more distance… to the point of if she didn’t have this ‘head armor’, then she might have had to slow down, simply due to the air slamming onto her face.

The mountains quickly come closer… while Shirasagi has since been out of sight for some time… almost there. To the pack, Keaty, Vella, the alpha…

At least, whoever’s left.

* * *

When Lupus finally did reach the base of the mountains, she ran only about five minutes in… before deciding to shift back. For one, she isn’t as agile in her dragon form, and she don’t think it  **would**  be possible to make it around all of these trees in such a large, bulky form. However, the second and more important reason is that she would rather  **not**  knock down every other tree her body rams into.

It’s for the best if she finishes this trip in her human form.

Thankfully, she also doesn’t have that far to go. Nodding to herself, she keeps her pace, and despite not being in this particular section of the mountainous forest, she twists and turns through trees, branches, roots, and all the little bumps and ditches with an ease that no human can match.

No, she’s only half-human… she’s better than humans. She is Lupus, a half-dragon raised by Wolfskin and…

She stops in two steps. Why? It’s an easy answer, as experienced as the beast-hunters and poachers are, they can never truly cover their tracks. Sometimes it’s because of they fail to use the exact same shade color of leaves, or they snap some seemingly random branch, or their scent is stronger than the ‘natural’ smell they try to cover their bodies with. But, apparently even after being away for so long, she still hasn’t lost this certain crucial skill.

There are traps out here.

She lets out a low growl, she isn’t that far from the pack, and there are already traps littering the area?! With a certain grace, she weaves around the ‘dangerous’ part of the trap and breaks it apart. “Stupid humans.” She growls again. Yet, in this moment, the ‘you humans’ doesn’t bother her. She  **knows**  what she is.

Another dozen or so steps and she undoes one of those ‘tension wires’. The process kept repeating, she’d move for about half a minute before encountering yet  **another**  one. And she kept going and going, refusing to let… A sick scent blankets this area… intense, potent.

Death.

She narrows it down, Wolfskin. She holds back a gag when she sees this male that one position where she hates seeing any of them in… furless. The only positive to this is he doesn’t have even a portion of the scent of any of the pack, moreso nothing that smelled like Keaty or Vella. Besides, even though she was only gone for a few weeks, she doubts the pack has all of the same Wolfskin.

She takes the time to remove the arrow out of his body… toxins, of course. “If I find them, I’ll make sure they bleed for you.” She swears at the corpse. “No…  **when**  I find them.” Nodding to herself, she resumes moving. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem the carnage ended there. One, two… three. More Wolfskin lined up on the ground, furless, without any Beaststones. The dragon in her roars, louder and louder.

She lets out her own howl… frustration, anger… vengeance.

Then, she was surprised to  **receive**  a howl… a howl… Her heart skips a bit, she recognizes that particular sound, the small change that only one of the Wolfskin ever does. Vella! Keeping her awareness up, she resumes her sprint, leaping over triggers, even managing to disarm some at the speed she’s moving… not all of them, but a fair amount. She picks up the scents of many… but, they aren’t at the old den and… there aren’t as many.

Then she does reach the den… the new den. Her eyes scan the area, there are a few she recognizes, and if the ones she doesn’t know aren’t bothering with the ‘human’ that rushed in, that would mean that the alpha detected her… “Sister!”

“Oof!” Vella slammed onto her, openly crying as she gave Lupus a near bone-crushing hug.

Maybe if she were fully human, then it  **would**  be breaking her body. “Sister, sister, sister, sister…” Vella whimpers.

“Vella…” Lupus gently says, before managing to only slightly overpower Vella’s grip to unpin her arms and return the hug.

“...Lupus.” A more stern voice speaks. Power, dominance, she can even pick out the respect from the other Wolfskin… but Vella remains planted. ...The alpha wouldn’t allow that. Or, maybe just this once and, “Velouria, off.” ...The alpha only referred to Vella and Keaty as ‘pups’. “ **Now**.”

“Brother…” Vella sighs, before pulling back, giving Lupus the full view of none other than Keaty.

“Keaty!” Lupus exclaims, “I…”

“Stay.” He orders with such an authority that…

Her smile fades, “The alpha…?”

“Brother’s the alpha now, sister.” Vella nods.

“I had us move.” Keaty… the alpha… No! Still Keaty! “Noticed something strange when we traveled a certain distance.” He continues, “Humans from Nohr stopped following… can’t figure out why.”

Lupus tilts her head, before nodding, “Mot… er, the Queen has a magical barrier covering Hoshido.”

“Sister…?” Vella prods. “You…”

“Velouria, not now.” Keaty  **quickly**  silences her, “Lupus, continue.”

...Wow, he’s really changed. “She said something about ‘causing Nohrians to lose their will to fight’.”

“Hmph.” He huffs, “Must only affect humans, then.” A short pause, “Only one problem with this den… not enough animals to supply the pack.”

“He has to send some back to Nohr to get meat.” Vella continues. “And we keep losing more.”

“Berries?” Lupus asks.

“She’s dead, Lupus.” Keaty doesn’t need to say ‘who’, “She passed down what she could, but she couldn’t teach them all of it. There are still so many fruits that we don’t know are safe or not.”

“There are also a lot of them that never grew near us.” Vella adds, causing Keaty to nod. “I doubt that even she knew about these.”

Well… Lupus had a fair amount of new fruit… “What do they look like?” She asks.

“Can’t trust them, they smell too tempting.” Keaty starts off with. “Tend to look like circles, some are red, shiny, smooth… some are orange, kinda bumpy, some…”

“Apples, oranges.” Lupus cuts him off, to which he raises an eyebrow, “Safe. They taste really sweet, but they’re safe. What else?”

“Really small, blue circles,” Vella continues, “Sometimes they look like they have a lot of little bumps, but those are black or red…”

“Blueberries… then Blackberries or Raspberries. All safe. Kinda… tart.”

“Tart?” Keaty asks.

“It’s like sweet, but…” Lupus pauses, but unable to make an actual comparison, “It’s… unique. The point is, they’re safe to eat.”

“Hmph.” He huffs again. “...Good to have you back.” With that, he turns around.

“Hey~! No hug?” Lupus gripes.

He sighs, “Not that I  **want**  one, but…” He faces her again. “I know you won’t let it drop until you get one, so…” He shrugs. “Go ahead.”

“I can see your tail wagging, brother.” Lupus points out.

“...” He looks away.

Smiling she wraps her arms around him. “I’m… just glad you’re alive. I had so many nightmares and…”

He chuckles, “Like a few dozen humans could stop  **me**.” There’s a confidence to his voice that even the alpha couldn’t match.

She breaks the embrace, her own confidence rising with his, “So, the last alpha…?”

“He and a few others held the humans back.” Ah, just like she guessed.

“Was the king…?”

“No.” He cuts her off, “Some woman with an axe just as large.” He supplies, “Rode a flying scaled creature.”

“She and her… ‘mount’ fought the alpha.” Vella continues, “Two other women fought the rest.”

“Just three? Beast Killers?”

“Two axes, one sword… no Beast Killers.” Keaty shakes his head, “Other axe one had a similar mount.”

“And they fought the rest?” Lupus honestly has a hard time imagining that.

“...Others were already dead by the time we left the area.” He visibly flinches, “Alpha couldn’t have survived.” A howl echoes… success, returning… “I need to go and portion the meats.” Keaty turns and leaves without hesitating.

“Brother’s the alpha…” Lupus tilts her head. “So much has happened. Eep!”

Vella shoves her body against Lupus’s, taking a deep sniff. Her tail starts wagging furiously, “Oh… I  **almost**  forgot your scent.” She whines. “But I’d never forget your sound.” A short pause, “So, you can… where’s your sword?”

Lupus smirks. “Hey, sister…?” She smuggly states, “Wanna see something awesome?”

Vella’s ears perk, curious enough to briefly drop the topics of her ‘missing sword’, “Treasure?”

Lupus hesitated… “Oh! Thanks for reminding me!” She digs around in her bag, “Chicken bones!” She smiles as she grabs one and hands it to her.

“...chicken?” Vella picks it up and sniffs it… then starts drooling. “Oh, that smells good.” Seeming to know better than Silky, Vella only chews on it. “Mmm… Alright, anything else?”

“See this?” She points at her Dragonstone.

“Yeah, I saw the gem.” Vella nods, “Is that a human thing?”

“Well, what if I were to tell you I’m  **not**  fully human?”

She stops mid-chew, “Wolfskin?” She asks, if a bit too eagerly.

Well, Lupus can’t blame her, “Nope.”

“...Kitsune?” She  **growls**.

“Nope.” Yet before Vella could guess again, Lupus channels that roaring into the stone, “...half-dragon.” With that, she taps into the Dragonstone, shifting into her dragon form.

Vella drops the chicken bone.

The den is covered in silence. Lupus is on the receiving end of multiple stares… apparently this is strange enough to warrant stopping everything… if only for a half-second. “Half… dragon?” Vella repeats.

“Yup!” Lupus says in that echoey voice. “No need for a sword.”

Vella walks up and strokes Lupus’s scales on her leg. “Smooth… kinda wet?” She then, of course, sniffs Lupus. “Mmm… I got a new scent to learn.” With that she shoves her nose up against Lupus. “...Could you lie down?”

Lupus giggles, “Sure!” She plops down onto the ground with a small thud, to which Vella starts walking around her draconic sister’s body, taking in as much of the slightly different scent as she can.

Oh, it’s good to be back…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there Lupus is… back in the pack. Buuuut…
> 
> The alpha and a few others, including the, uh, ‘eldest bitch’ are dead. Keaty is now the alpha.
> 
> Also sounds like the pack is struggling. Less animals around them, and so many new foods that they aren’t sure of. It’s a good thing Lupus had all of those fruits and berries back in Shirasagi!
> 
> And… taking more liberties, this time with Mikoto’s barrier. So, this version of her barrier works kinda like this: It affects humans, not Wolfskin. I would think that the beast-races are different enough to be ‘excluded’ from its effects. The magic would ‘see’ them as ‘beasts’. So… if a Nohrian walked into the new den, this Nohrian would not be able to attack the Wolfskin… but the Wolfskin would be able to attack the human.
> 
> Still, the pack has to deal with Hoshidan poachers. Which do exist, mind you. Hoshido just isn’t as ‘flooded’ with poachers as Nohr.
> 
> I wonder who was it that fought against the alpha and the remaining Wolfskin…
> 
> Aaaand, it’s still up in the air if this will turn out Conquest or Revelations. Until then, gotta worry about the more potential immediate threat… Mikoto’s barrier failing. I’m sure Garon would quickly send out the order to finish off the pack.


	24. Adaptation: Longing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Lupus is back in the pack, the next obvious thing to do is to start helping out. Showing off which herbs and food that she learned about, and start disarming those pesky traps, right?
> 
> Nah, how about a catch-up chat with Vella and maybe Keaty?
> 
> ...Alright fine, maybe there is a few bits here and there with Lupus helping out.
> 
> Canon name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Vella is bundled up to Lupus, who is back in her human form after no less than, not joking here, a half-hour of sniffing. Vella shoved her nose into, almost, every spot she could get into. Only Lupus's core seemed to be spared her Wolfskin sister's sniffing. "I'm so happy you're back." Vella muttered, pulling Lupus closer, despite there being no room between them to begin with. The two are lying in the new den. This specific one was just for Vella, but of course, she had no problem sharing it with her half-human sister. "And you're staying." It wasn't a question.

Because if Lupus left again, that'd be it. She wouldn't be able to return to the pack. She doubts even Keaty would let that happen. "It's good to be back, sister. I was so worried for you all…" A short pause, "How late was I?"

Vella clutched at Lupus's skin, "We've been here a few days now… we keep losing more of the pack, but this time… there aren't any others near us." She takes a breath, "It doesn't help none of the females are in heat yet, either." Tap, tap, squeeze, "How was your trip?" She asks, desperate to get her mind off of the bad things.

"A loooot of things happened, so…" Lupus hums, "One of the first nights when I was out, I managed to catch something in a trap."

"Okay?" The embrace isn't as tight, but she still refuses to put any distance between them.

"Well, I didn't catch an animal… but a, well… human." She sheepishly smiles, "An archer…" Vella growls, clearly remembering the same day that Keaty was shot, "Not a poacher!" She quickly amends.

"How do  **you**  know that?" Another growl.

"Hold on Vella, don't forget I'm half-human." She adds.

Her furry ears twitch and she takes a breath, "That doesn't mean I have to like that you interacted with 'them'."

Yep, she knew it. It would be a very bad idea to have brought Seta here. "Anyway, I let her go, she bugged me for a bit, then walked off into another one of my traps and I left her there. Two towns… or villages, later and she ends up in  **another**  one of my traps."

"...Idiot." Vella narrows her eyes.

Ignoring that insult, Lupus continues, "Then another woman comes by and frees her, and when I happened to look, she recognized me. I ran off, of course, but she called me out by my name while she was riding her flying horse, and I… well, tripped from the surprise. Her name is Hinoka, and she's my big sister."

Lupus pauses, waiting for that to sink in for Vella. "You found your family, then." She states.

She nods, "I have a big sister, little sister, big brother, little brother, and a mother. And we're all 'royalty'."

"You're what?" Oh, and here comes the confusion for her.

"Think of it like… mother is the Queen, so she's an 'Alpha', then there are her children, which are like mini-Alphas and…"

"What?" Vella presses, "How does that work?"

"I'll explain later, can I finish?" Lupus dodges the question, "Spent some time there, mother told me I was actually a 'half-dragon', she got me a Dragonstone so I could shapeshift and…"

"What did you do, sister?" Vella asks, clearly suspicious.

"While I was outside one day I, uh… ran into a pair of… Kitsunes."

As Lupus would have expected, her Wolfskin sister was understandably bothered, "And you didn't kill them? Kitsunes are as bad as humans, if not worse! You should know this!"

Oh, there are so many hurdles to go through here. "These two aren't, sister. Even after I told them I was raised by Wolfskin they still wanted to be at peace with me. We even got to play with each other!" Vella snaps her mouth shut, and takes a deep breath, oh that wasn't a good thing to say. The hatred still runs deep, it seems. "...Might as well ge this part over with to, then." Lupus mutters, "I had sex with that archer there, her name's Seta."

"Two females can't mate." Vella points out the obvious.

"It wasn't mating."

"Then what's the purpose?"

No matter how many times Vella tried to adapt to Lupus's human habits when she was still in the pack before, she could never fully grasp the concepts… and maybe she never will. "Bonding." Lupus eventually answers. "For humans, sex is one of the most personal things you can do."

"Hmph." She huffs. "Something besides humans and those foxes?"

Lupus resisted the urge to flinch. While yes, Kitsunes closely resemble foxes, it is actually considered a great insult to call a Kitsune a 'fox'… just like it's a huge offense to call a Wolfskin a 'wolf'. If you say that, you're basically calling the beast-shifter no better than a common animal… you're making them sound like they have no real sense. Frankly though, Lupus isn't surprised Vella referred to the Kitsunes as 'foxes'. "That's really it, then. I mostly spent time with my family."

"But, you're back now."

"I am."

"And you aren't leaving."

"Nope."

"Good." Vella smiles, before snuggling up to her sister again.

"Still doesn't change the fact that I'm not allowing them here." Keaty's voice suddenly sounds out, as he is leaning against the cave wall.

"I'm aware." She replies. "I wasn't expecting you to."

"...and if I make the call to attack, will you follow?" He cuts straight to the point. Another tough question. Her family means nothing but good, but the hate for humans and Kitsunes runs very deep in the packs. Simply her being half-human with an understanding and loving human family won't change viewpoints so easily… not even for Keaty and Vella. "Well?"

"They won't…"

"Yes or no." His dominant side sparks, the powerful aura that is undoubtedly coming from his Wolfsegger form is bleeding through.

"...My name is Lupus, and I am of the Wolfskin." She resolves, "You're my brother, but above that, you're the alpha now. If you gave the order for me to attack, I'd… follow. I'll strike where you order to strike. The pack comes first."

"Hmph." He huffs, before pushing himself off the wall, walking away without a second thought. He's right, after all. She understands his reasoning. He doesn't want to risk the safety of the pack simply because they are her blood-family. He is probably assuming they'd use that as a means to get inside the pack and kill them from the inside. To her family, that would be an absurd thought…

But they aren't in the same constant danger as the pack is in. It's better to treat everything as a threat at first… which is why none of the Wolfskin have touched the new fruits yet. They never encountered them before, and the fact that they smell good is even more reason to be wary.

"Sister?" Vella asks, breaking Lupus from her thoughts.

"...I should share what knowledge I have of the surrounding area, about all of the things we can get to eat and stuff." More importantly, she needs to do something else.

However, she only took a few steps before Vella tackled her to the ground. "...Don't leave, please." She whimpers. "I'm… I'm sorry, I'm trying to understand and… don't leave. Please."

Lupus gulps, looking at just how  **broken**  Vella is right now. This isn't like her other tight hugs or sniffing sessions. Her eyes are forming their own small waterfall of tears, her lips are trembling, her body shakes… she looks fearful. "Were you like this the whole time…?" Lupus hesitates.

"I was so worried. All day, every day." She admits, "I kept waking up, expecting to see you, but you weren't there. I sniffed your frequent spots until your scent was completely gone. Every time there was a howl for returning, I was at the edge first, hoping you'd be there. Br-brother kept telling me not to worry, that you'd be back, but…" She sniffs, "I was scared, terrified. What if something happened? What if those humans didn't accept her? What if they  **attacked**  you?! What if…"

With her own surge of strength, Lupus rolled them over, pressing her body against Vella. Calm versus panicked. "Sister…" Lupus cood, "I wouldn't let that happen, no matter what. You know that, right? No matter what happens, I would have returned. Even if they didn't accept me, even if I was unable to learn a sword or that I could shapeshift, I'd come back before anything bad happened. So, stop crying, sister. I'm here and I'm not leaving again." She gives her a gentle kiss on the forehead… a human gesture, sure, but it does seem to calm Vella down. "Would you like to take a quick nap with me?"

A small smile forms, "Only if I can sniff as much as I can."

Lupus returns the smile, "You don't need to ask, sister." She rises off of her and lies down, with Vella quickly invading her 'personal space' to sniff. "I love you with all of the sisterly affection I can manage."

"...I love you with all of the sisterly affection I can manage, too." She says in between sniffs.

* * *

Lupus awakes to find herself in a position that she hasn't been in a long time. She is on her back with Vella pressed up so much against her, that there can't be any space left between them at all. She can feel even the slightest amount of movement from her sister. Now, if only Keaty were on her other side…

But, he's the alpha now, so he's got more things to do. Lupus shifts around to face the still-napping Vella, then wraps her own arms around her, "Mmm…" She hums as she strokes her sister's fur. She then starts sniffing her… yep, still as 'natural' as last time. Rub, sniff, shove, she tries to get as much of her sister's scent ingrained as her as last time and…

"Hee…" Vella lightly giggles. "S-Sister!" Oh right, she's ticklish there. So, Lupus does the next obvious thing…

And shoves her face even harder into that spot, causing Vella to squirm around and laugh, trying to get her half-human sister away from the ticklish spots. "I almost forgot your scent…" A short pause follows, as Lupus picks up a scent she couldn't immediately, oh… "Sister?"

"Yes?"

"You said none of the females are in heat…"

Vella nods, even if Lupus can't directly see it, "There aren't any males in here strong enough for me. I've had a few come up, but I'm not going to be claimed by a male that can't best me in combat." Another short pause, "Mates are for life, sister. I'm not going to be stuck with some weak Wolfskin."

"Right…" Lupus gently replies. "Even if there is a need for pups?"

She slightly recoils, "If I'm near the end of my heat and none of the other females have started… then I will."

"The pack…"

"Sister." Vella cuts her off, if a bit aggressively, "We're not going to be separated again."

Lupus tilts her head, before getting the implication. Vella's so concerned with losing her, that she won't even mate? That she is forgoing the pack itself to be with her? She starts thinking her time with the pack before she left, how Vella would pretty much stick by Lupus or Keaty, no matter what. "Oh…" Now, now it seems so clear how attached Vella is to her and Keaty… moreso for Lupus.

No, not attached… obsessed. Vella is obsessed with Lupus and Keaty.

"Velouria. Lupus." Keaty abruptly walks in. "Up. Out."

...Lupus is missing the pre-alpha Keaty. Still, she complies without a second thought and gets up, Vella close behind. "Trouble?" She simply asks.

"You're traveling with the scouting party, go point out what we can use for food." He looks at Lupus, before turning to Vella, "Hunting party, expect humans." With his orders out, he leaves.

Vella huffs, "Of course… brother." Her teeth are almost grinding against each other.

"Be safe, sister." Lupus attempts to comfort her.

"Like a few humans can keep me from you." She scoffs before turning on her heel and walking away. "We'll be back soon." She too, walks off.

Why are things so tense?

* * *

Lupus looks from Wolfskin to Wolfskin, the scouting party. These Wolfskin tend to have a better sense of agility and speed relative to the others. "Human?" One of the asks, one whose scent she doesn't recognize at all… must be one of the new ones.

"Half-human." Lupus is quick to correct him. "Half-dragon."

"Half breed?" Another, female this time, asks. "What sort of fool would claim a human?"

Why is she grouped with the new Wolfskin? Why couldn't Lupus be with the older pack members? "She's useful, that's why." Oh… there is one of the previous pack members here. "She has knowledge of the surrounding area  **and**  she's the best at disarming traps."

"The hunting…"

"Quiet." The one defending her stands tall. "You are to follow  **my**  orders until we return, remember?" Wait…

Wait.

Keaty  **gave**  him the right to order? Lupus blinked a few times, trying to process that information.

…

Keaty  **gave**  another Wolfskin the order… to order? He is… allowing someone else to lead?  _"I think that your family, the pack, is in the best position to change, to set an example."_  Seta's words echo through her head…

And that's what Keaty is doing. "I still don't understand how this is supposed to work, but…" The female Wolfskin concedes.

"I think as long as the scouting party is together doing something… then he's the alpha?" The first Wolfskin who spoke up.

"There's only one alpha." A fourth Wolfskin.

The previous pack member looks at Lupus, then shakes his head with a small smile, "We're moving out. Lupus, beside me." Tilting her head, she nods and keeps pace beside him. "It's… good to see you again."

"Things changed…" She starts off, before taking a better look at him. Unlike Keaty's, uh, 'basic' white and black fur combination, this male has a dark shade of purple lining the stomach area, while the rest is outright black… except that the back of his hands up to his elbows have a vibrant red fur.

"That's what the alpha said… 'things have to start changing'. He told us that the minute we settled down at the new den." He nods. "He gave me and another one of the previous pack members control of the scouting and hunting parties… and he usually doesn't take part of them. Instead he stays at the den and improves on what can be improved."

"Wow…" She gasps. "Keaty…"

"And I suppose we have you to thank for that." He smirks. "He might not speak as much, but he understands you and the human things far better than Velouria."

"Really?"

"Yep." Another nod, "He's confident in his orders, too… as strange as some of them can get. But, as long as he is confident, the others don't have a problem. Even  **if**  they get curious…" He glances at her, "So… how was your… trip?"

Lupus giggles, "Is he also ordering you all to make small talk?"

"Small… talk?" He slowly asks.

"What we're doing now. Just… talking."

"Oh, then yes." He nods. "He said it'd help us 'bond' better." He still seems a little unsure. "I trust him."

"I appreciate the effort, at least." She smiles.

"Is that one of the… 'berries'?" One of the Wolfskin ask.

"Small, round… blue?" Lupus looks at it, then nods, "Blueberry." She snatches it off the plant and plops it in her mouth without even bothering to sniff it. "Yep, tastes just like I remember." Yet another nod.

"Take note of this area, we'll report it back to the alpha." The previous pack…

"What's your name?" Lupus asks.

He turns towards her once more, "Dadaan."

"It's nice to meet you, Dadaan."

"And you too, Lupus. Now! Let's keep moving." Lupus nods with a smile. Things are different, indeed.

* * *

With the list of details being delivered to Keaty, Lupus stood outside of his den, waiting for Dadaan to finish. Simply put, she's curious… well that, and she'd like to just  **talk**  to her Wolfskin brother, as she hadn't had the chance yet. She hopes that he can stop being the 'alpha' Keaty long enough to be her 'brother' Keaty for one conversation.

Dadaan walks out, "Lupus." She can hear Keaty call her out. Smiling, she enters her den, seeing that Keaty is leaning against one of the den's walls. "Speak."

The smile fades a bit, "I wanted to talk for a bit."

She can spot his tail wagging, but for once she decides against teasing him on it, "...Wait until after the hunting party comes back."

Lupus huffs and then she puffs out her cheek, "Dadaan told me you were changing how the pack works." She presses on anyway. "With the chatting and giving other Wolfskin control."

"I am." See, at least he isn't ordering her to leave! "What of it?"

"You never seemed to  **want**  those talks before I left." Oh, that's a lie, but she's trying to get him to talk. "Our 'conversations' were always one-sided."

Keaty sighs and a silence follows. "I liked them." He mutters. "I never realized how much I looked forward to those little chats until you left."

"Keaty…"

"Not just me, either. And not just Velouria. But all of us… all the ones that grew up with us." He continues. "Every single Wolfskin that grew up with us…  **you** , wanted  **you**  back. Not because of your skills, but because of those chats you would have, the smiles you shared."

"Really?" Only Vella was the one that seemed interested in them.

"We'd find ourselves waiting around for a few moments in any of the 'normal' talking spots… then some of us tried to copy what you did, but we couldn't. We were craving that social aspect, but we didn't know how." He looks away, as if ashamed of admitting it. "It affected us in different ways, too. The main one being this… uneasy silence. A lot of started becoming distracted easily, a few would occasionally wait at the edge of our area wanting you to come back."

"Vella did that, too." Lupus nodded.

"Yeah, she was the first one out there, but she wasn't the only one." He glances at her, before looking back at the wall, "I decided I wanted to do something about it. I wanted things to change. So, I trained, I pushed myself… I wanted to be the next alpha."

"And you got it."

"I managed to obtain the Wolfsegger form, and the day I was going to challenge the alpha…" He pauses. "We were attacked. That was the day those three took on the entire pack." Lupus tilts her head, still having a hard time imagining them handling… "The alpha ordered all of the older Wolfskin to stay with him, the younger ones left… the ones that grew up alongside us left. I… I think he knew, too. He knew things were changing, but he couldn't even understand the most basics of it. He wouldn't be able to provide it for us. But… he knew I'd be able to." His eyes lock onto hers, "He sent me, the second strongest Wolfskin, out. I found this area later and we settled here. Then I told the pack the changes… they accepted it without hesitation. Not because I was the alpha, but because these were changes they wanted, too."

"I'm glad." She smiles. "That you changed things."

"Dadaan was the first to stand up for these changes, you know." He continues, "One of the older Wolfskin in the previous den was commenting on how 'weak' this batch of pups were. We all took offense, but Dadaan actually stood up and fought back. I know you don't remember them all too well, but he  **was**  one of the weakest." He smirks, "That was one of the other ways we were affected… he stood his ground and he managed to beat him back. The alpha had to step in to keep Dadaan from seriously injuring that Wolfskin. I think that was when the alpha realized that things needed to change… fighting for these 'wants' inspired us."

"I…"

"We missed you. All of us did. Even though it was a new feeling, even though we couldn't figure it out, we now know. We  **longed**  for you to return, we  **wanted**  you to come back." He steps forward, "I'm… glad you're back, Lupus. We all are."

Lupus nods, "I'm glad to be back, brother."

He scoffs, "Brother…" then he smiles, "I don't think any of us will ever fully understand what these 'human' things are, maybe not even for a few generations, but we're going to try, I… we don't want to feel that longing again. We'll fight for it." Yet, before Lupus could add anything, a howl echoed out, "The hunting party… alright, out." The 'brother' Keaty just vanished… just like that. "And… I'll talk to you later… sister."

Lupus offered a smile as she left. Things really did change, didn't they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, sounds like Keaty has been extremely busy, despite the short time he has been the alpha so far. He was quick to establish dominance, and now the pack is adopting some human habits. Also, taking what little interaction we've had so far… could he really understand humans better than Vella?
> 
> And what about Dadaan? What could it mean that I took the time to name one of the seemingly random Wolfskin?
> 
> How about Vella and her obsessiveness, how far could that go?
> 
> And outside of the pack… Mikoto's barrier? How is the rest of Lupus's family taken the news that she returned to the pack? Will all of them truly respect her decision?
> 
> We'll see, yeah?


	25. Adaptation: Preparation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Lupus awoke with a start, enough to cause Vella to wake up with a growl. Within that half-second, Vella was up and ready to defend Lupus. The half-dragon's eyes scan the area, her heart is racing… what was she dreaming of? "Sister?" Vella asks after all potential threats are looked over. "Is something wrong?" She sits back down beside her. "Your breathing really fast."

"Bad dream." She quickly answers. "I dunno what, but I know it was bad." Lupus takes a deep breath, "I'm happy to be back. It's good to be back."

Sniff sniff, Vella abruptly 'invades' Lupus's personal space. "You're afraid… terrified." She concludes, "Must've been a  **really**  bad dream."

"I… guess I am." About what? It can't be her blood-family, since they are more than safe back in the castle. The pack? No, the barrier… the barrier won't last if they don't do anything. But, what can a few over a dozen Wolfskin do to an entire army's worth of humans?

They can't. Not without risking the pack. "Sister?" Vella nudges her. "Do you… need to talk?"

Lupus hesitates, but nods, "I need to talk to Keaty again… actually important this time." She gets up, "Really important."

"Sister…" Vella's eyes follow Lupus as she leaves.

The den, relative to the old one, is louder. There aren't any scouting or hunting parties out right now, so all the Wolfskin are either in their dens or outside, and the ones that are outside, at least some of them, are attempting to chat…

And Lupus rather not listen to these, frankly, embarrassing attempts. But… this is a new thing to them, and without a human-half, they are having a tough time. They might be better off trying for their Wolfsegger forms.

The half-dragon follows Keaty's scent trail to none other than Keaty's den. "Keaty? Er… Alpha?" She hesitantly asks.

"Come." He responds and she enters. "...You're fearful." Is the first thing he comments on. "Is… everything alright?"

"It's about the barrier… the reason the Nohrian humans didn't follow the pack." She starts off. "It won't last long, y'know. There's so many humans out there, because they're going to force it down."

"We can move." Yet, before Lupus could say anything, he adds, "But this isn't as much about the pack, is it?"

"Well… my family has an army of their own. And I'm more worried about what we'll have to keep doing, rather than the pack itself. Brother, I don't want us to keep finding new dens… what if those humans move ahead of us? What if we run out of dens?"

Keaty huffs, crosses his arms, and looks away. "I get it. We can't keep running, but we don't have the strength to keep fending off those humans… especially if those three keep coming back." A short pause, "What are you going to suggest?"

What  **would**  Lupus suggest? Trying to get the Wolfskin to 'move in' with her family is going to be nothing but trouble. Hit and run tactics, like how with they use to raid caravans, is also too risky. "I… don't know." She admits, "I don't have a plan for it."

"Hmph." A silence follows. "Then don't worry about it."

"It's not that simple! I can't help but worry about the pack! About us! Is it wrong for me to be concerned about the safety of the pack?!" She nearly shouts back… not realizing how loud she was until Keaty rounded an intense glare at her. "...sorry."

"Don't. Concern yourself with it." He stresses. "Go back to Velouria, I need some time to think. Trust that I can think of something, alright?"

"...okay." Deflated, she leaves. That didn't go as easily as she hoped, but…

He's still learning. That is, if he can even learn it all in one lifetime. Which he probably won't. The pack is being forced into a situation they never had to deal with before. This isn't just groups of poachers that comes to try and take pelts. This is a group of humans that want  **this**  specific pack dead. For 'taking' Lupus away from their King. It won't matter if Lupus is actually here or not, they just want all of them dead out of revenge.

...And she doesn't know how to protect them. She… she doesn't even know how to properly  **fight**  in her dragon form yet, either. She looks around the den, before her eyes land on a now-familiar face. Dadaan. "Hey…" She calls him out.

"Hello Lupus." He looks towards her. He seems to want to say something else, but he can't think of anything.

They're still learning. So, she decides to take this in a more Wolfskin manner, "Playfight? Fast and rough?"

To which he smirks. "Fast and rough? Sure you can handle that?" Regardless, his Beaststone glows and he shifts into his Wolfskin form.

She taps into her Dragonstone, and shifts into her dragon form, "No choice. Gotta learn to fight." She lowers her body, "Need to learn."

"You don't know how to fight in your dragon form, but you want it fast and rough?"

"Yup." She nods. "So, c'mon. Don't be gentle." It's a statement she almost regretted announcing, since he closed the distance and almost slammed her on her head.

...And he isn't even a Wolfsegger. But, then again, she does  **not**  know how to best use her draconic body to fight. "You ask, I gave… you still sure?" He asks.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm sure."

He tilts his head, "You aren't."

She huffs, "Dadaan, I  **need** …"

"To not hurt yourself too badly." He cuts her off. "You fight me, I'll guard." He plants his massive feet into the ground and holds his body still, "Ready."

Lupus slowly nods her armored head, "Alright, here I go…"

* * *

Embarrassing, nothing short of embarrassing. Lupus has never felt so ashamed in her life as she did when she was stumbling around in her dragon form,  **trying**  to actually get some decent hits in on Dadaan. If she wasn't tripping over her own feet, then she was thrown off balance by a sudden shift in her tail, or maybe she reared her head and her horns hit something else.

She just wanted to curl up and fall asleep, anything to avoid looking like the fool she was.

But, like with her learning to move in her draconic form, Lupus kept pushing. She forced herself to get up, forced herself to focus, and with time, learned to do more than accidentally slap his body. She wouldn't be able to handle a real battle, but at least she could defend herself, mostly.

Maybe she should have had Dadaan at least move a bit?

She sighs as she lies her head down, back in Vella's den… not that  **she**  is in here right now. Vella is out with the hunting party and due to Lupus's insistence on learning how to fight, meant she wasn't a part of today's plant-gathering group. She  **wants**  to go with them, but Keaty has a really good sense when it comes to her well-being. She would become more of a burden if she went right now.

Doesn't mean she has to like it.

As for Keaty himself? Well, he's at the den, too. She had thought about talking with him, but she's just feeling… 'eh'. Maybe if she didn't dance around like a fool in front of the rest of the pack, she'd be out there. "Lupus." She slowly raises her head to see Keaty leaning against the cave wall. Concern is on his face, but he isn't actually saying anything about it.

Maybe he doesn't know what to say? "Hey, brother." She lazily responds. "I'm fine, it's just… didn't think learning to fight as a dragon would be so… the rest made it look so easy when they first shifted."

He shrugs, "Instinct, I guess." At least he isn't snickering about her failures… "Sent another group out, just two of them, they went with the hunting party."

"Okay…?" She trails off, unsure of where he's going with this.

"They're going to break off of the hunting party and back towards the main road." He continues, "They're going to keep the high ground and scout out the humans. Gonna try and figure out what all they're going to do."

"Risky…"

"I know." He flatly states, "But… we need plans for the future. I thought about your concerns. Then I thought about what else should be changed. I'm… going to take more of the future into thought from now on."

"Oh, that's good." She gives a small smile.

"Do you have any ideas? I don't have much planned beyond the scouting."

"Not really…" She trails off. "I don't know a lot about the 'tactics' thing I heard when with my family."

"Tactics?" He echoes.

"It's like… instinct, but instead it being about yourself, it's knowing about the enemy."

"Humans do that?" He seems somewhat confused, but Lupus can see recognition flashing in his eyes… maybe it won't take as long as she originally thought. "Anything else?"

"..." Lupus looks away.

"...sister?"

"I could ask my…"

"No." He cuts her off.

"I know… I just wanted to say it." Still got a long way. Even with a potentially powerful idea, it isn't enough. Humans are going to have to  **offer**  a lot of things to even get on neutral terms with the packs. "I didn't learn  **that**  much there, brother. There are few battle-related things I learned."

"Okay." A short pause, "Uh, thanks… sister," He gets off the wall and walks out, "hope you get… better soon." He calls out.

"It'll take time." She reminds herself. "It'll take time before the packs 'gets it'." She sighs and lies her head down, might as well get a bit of rest in…

* * *

Lupus awoke with a furry body pressed against hers. Vella's human form is as wrapped around her as she can get. Arms going around her, legs entangled with her own, her head buried in the small dip around her neck and chest. And perhaps it's due to Lupus's… 'moment' with Seta, but she actually feels like Vella might be a bit  **too**  close.

Then again, Vella isn't human, so it doesn't really bother her.

So instead, Lupus reaches around Vella with her own arms and pulls her closer, earning an unconscious 'mmm' in response. She can even spot her tail wagging. She's… she really is attached to Lupus. Sure, Lupus has noticed that Vella tended to stay near her as much as she could, but she brushed that off as what sisters do. Of course, Hina and Saku disproved that. Afterwards, she could really 'notice' how desperately Vella clings onto her. Why is she so attached, while the others aren't? This has to be an even more intense need than mating…

No, it has to be a greater need, since Vella herself said she'd only leave her side if the pack 'needs' more pups while she's in heat. That sort of thinking is only hurting the pack, Vella  **needs**  to mate, she  **needs**  to bear pups. But… nope. If it means leaving Lupus's side? Forget it. What else is Vella willing to drop for Lupus? Would she ultimately refuse to follow an order from Keaty… er, the alpha if Lupus was in danger? How would Vella react if she was hurt and she wasn't there to protect her?

Dadaan managed to overwhelm a male with years more experience, he was one of the weakest of the pups born and raised with Lupus… so, Lupus could only imagine how much damage Vella would cause if that same surge of power were to cross her. She doubts that even Keaty would cross her if that happened…

And he's a Wolfsegger now.

"Lupus." Oh, wow… Keaty sure is coming to her a lot. "Come."

"She's staying…" Vella grips her tighter. "You already talked to her." Oh, dear… "Later."

Lupus looks over to Keaty, who is understandably irritated by Vella's bluntly defying statement. "I can cuddle with you later, Vella…"

Vella's eyes lazily opens up and she stares at Lupus. "Haven't I waited long enough for us to cuddle again?! C'mon sister, just stay…"

"Brother… can't you just talk to me here?" She tries to reason.

She can hear him sigh, "Hold, then." He walks out, and within a minute, comes back in. "Tell her."

"While scouting, we spotted a… metal tree?" A Wolfskin states, but not one Lupus remembers, "We could feel a strange… urge to it, but not much more than that. We only kept note of it as we continued down our route. However, we couldn't go as far as originally planned, as that human army was closer than before and by the time we came back… that metal tree was destroyed, with those humans now gathered around it."

"Well?" Keaty asks.

"Must be one of those 'conduits' keeping Mother's barrier up." Lupus replies, still as 'stuck' to Vella as earlier. "She said something about they keep the 'magical stress' on her down, so that she can keep it going without weakening her to the point where she can't have it up and rule as Queen at the same time." And the more that fall, the more likely Mother will have to drop it…

The more likely the pack will be in  **really**  big trouble.

"...On your next scouting mission, bring another of the pack with you," Keaty starts, "If you spot one of those 'conduits' and the area is clear, you are to report back, but the rest stand guard. Do  **not**  defend it with your lives, but also try to keep it from falling."

"Uh, right…?" The Wolfskin hesitantly complies. "I mean, as you order."

"Can we spare the extra Wolfskin?" Lupus asks, after the other left.

"Only going to have three guarding it, four when he gets back to it." Keaty states. "Won't be able to defend from a lot, but at least they will slow them down." A pause as he goes to leave, "...Don't deny me again,  **Velouria**." He says with such a dangerous undertone that Lupus shivered.

In response, Vella just holds Lupus tighter, her body slightly trembling. "...not losing you, not losing you." She whimpers.

…

Lupus needs to figure out a way to get Vella to loosen her possessiveness of her. Things can only get worse if she doesn't obey Keaty. Yes, he may be Keaty 'the brother', but he is also Keaty 'the alpha'. He's only going to give Vella so much bending room before he 'puts his foot down'. And Lupus is worried what will happen if Vella crosses that invisible line, if she angers Keaty that much…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear, Hoshido just lost a conduit. How much longer until the next one drops? How many will need to fall before Mikoto has to give up the barrier? How long can four Wolfskin keep one of the conduits protected?
> 
> As for the Nohrians, who are now clearly in Hoshido, near the conduit… I'm thinking that that specific part of the barrier is weakened, so now they have a couple of Mages have a barrier of their own up, one that prevents Mikoto's magic from affecting them. So, now Mikoto lost a conduit, the Nohrians at the border are still bombarding the barrier directly, and there is a breach inside the barrier, with the Nohrians there adding even more stress with their own 'bubble', not to mention the Nohrian Mages that are probably stationed in this 'bubble' who are also assaulting the barrier itself. And maybe the Nohrians are repurposing the conduit they just took down, too?
> 
> One thing falls and suddenly the magical stress has grown so much in so little time. Goes to show how determined Garon is to force the barrier down. How organized his army is to get all of that done so quickly. With that kind of magical force being applied, I'm sure it'd only take a few more conduits before his army can take care of the rest.
> 
> So… how much longer will the pack be safe under her barrier? What will they do when it does drop?
> 
> Vella and her possessiveness of Lupus… it's clearly stronger than that her canon need to be with Keaton in their supports. At least, it's enough to where she's outright defying the alpha's orders, regardless if the current alpha is her 'brother'.
> 
> Things are definitely not as clear cut as Lupus thought it would be… there are more challenges than just surviving on a day-to-day basis. It's more than 'live to see the next day', it's also now planning for the future, helping the pack adapt to human things, helping the pack and the alpha with new ways to live… and maybe bridge that gap between Wolfskin and human? I'm sure Keaty understands that having her blood-family help would be an incredible advantage, but…
> 
> You can't just 'get rid' of, what is probably, centuries worth of ill will and bad blood between two races that easily…
> 
> But, then again, this is Corrin we're talking about here. The same one who was like, "Let's all jump off the bridge in the Bottomless Canyon, because that is where the real threat is."


	26. Tuck Your Tail and... Fight?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, got one heck of a chapter. That means one of two things: There is either a sex scene… or there is a battle. Or both…
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Keaty has been noticeably relying on others lately, moreso with Lupus. He's been asking for advice and for different viewpoints, but… but none of the other Wolfskin are really bothered by it. Now, if there were any of the older Wolfskin from the previous den here, then they would undoubtedly bring it up. But, that's not the case, since mostly all of the Wolfskin here are the ones that grew up with Lupus, and there are only about one or two who were brought into the pack. He also reworded his order for the conduit, he now has only two Wolfskin occasionally going over to check up on it, to see if he needs to ready the pack for movement… because if it falls to Nohr, then the barrier might not be supporting this area.

Sure, the pack has dealt with humans before, but those were poachers… usually a few who laid out traps and relied on singling out Wolfskin. But… poachers aren't the real problem this time… it's an army. An organized army who wants  **this**  pack dead. These humans aren't relying so heavily on traps, they have numbers and high quality weapons on their side. If the King sends a group or two their way…

Lupus doubts they will make it out alive, especially if those women with axes and scaled flying mounts come in.

...She still has a hard time believing that  **three**  women held back the Wolfskin who stayed behind.

But, that's not what is mainly on her mind right now, no… Keaty, the alpha, can handle the pack. Lupus needs to focus on Vella… and by Vella, she means her Wolfskin's sister literal obsession with Lupus. Before she left for Hoshido, Lupus thought what Vella did was 'normal' for human sisters, but both Hina and Saku proved otherwise. Her constant need to be with her sister needs to be slowly lessened, she needs to do more than just stick by her sister's side and do everything with her…

She's hurting the pack this way.

But, how  **should**  she handle this? What can Lupus do to get Vella to have some distance? Being too forceful will undoubtedly cause problems. How can she wean Vella off of her? To introduce a set of human rules to add onto human behavior? Or maybe she's just overthinking it? How hard could it be to ask her to do some tasks without her? With that in mind, Lupus turns over to her sleeping form. A Wolfskin body that is, quite literally, pressed up against her.

And in other news, female Wolfskin go into heat.

Lupus pinches her nose and sighs. "Vella?" She suddenly asks, "I wanna get up." Grumble, gripe, Vella doesn't let go. "Vella~! I gotta pee…"

"Mmggk…" She sleepily replies, letting go but not really waking up. Now free, Lupus exits the den… and heads for Keaty's instead. No, she doesn't have to pee, but Vella's obsession is getting  **really**  bad.

In short, it won't be that long until Vella notices her sister hasn't returned yet, and will most likely be on her way.

"Keaty?" Lupus pokes her head into his den.

"Yes, Lupus?" He quickly replies.

"Wanted to talk." She steps into the den regardless.

"For?"

"Could you get Vella some tasks to do without me?" She decides to get straight to the point. "After the time spent with my family, I realize that Vella isn't acting the way a sister should."

He doesn't immediately respond, but even when he did, "Can't." His mood shifts… concerned?

"Brother…?"

"That… 'conduit' that the other scouting party saw?" He starts off, "It's already been torn down."

Tick, tock. It took Lupus a few seconds to properly 'get' what he said, "Wh-what?! It hasn't even been a day since the last one!"

"We can't stay here." Now he is understandably irritated… angered, even. "And… I don't know what we  **are**  going to do if this 'barrier' drops. We can't handle those humans again and again."

"When are we leaving, then?"

"Tonight." He supplies, "Maybe… maybe if we move at night, it'll be easier to hide our tracks." Still uncertain, he looks away. His earlier agitation turns to… shame? "I'm going to be blunt… I don't think we're making it out of this. Not with a part of the army  **determined**  to kill  **us** , specifically."

"And we can't just keep moving, either…" Lupus nods. "We'll be forced to get off the mountains and onto the level ground…"

"Which will make us easier to kill." He continues. "Poachers have to rely on traps because they can't move around the grounds as well as us… but they also aren't so many."

"But now we're dealing with dozens of humans at once, with those few being clearly stronger than most poachers." Lupus picks up. "And they're really quick, too… there is one of those 'tactic' humans with them, so they can group up together and do things fast."

"And with someone that important, I doubt these 'tactics' will be alone." He growls. "I can't risk sending Wolfskin to find some random humans. We aren't strong enough to hold back those certain humans. We're going to run out of mountain, then we're going to be left out in the open." Shame turns back into anger, enough to where he grips into fists and cuts into his hands. "The last alpha  **trusted**  me with the pack, and  **I**  can't get us out of this!" His voice raises while his Beaststone glows.

And what can Lupus say to calm him? It's simple, really… she can't. She doesn't have any real solutions of her own. "Did… you ask any of the pack?"

"Indirectly, yes." Keaty… not being direct? "They rely more on me, still. Only a few have just recently started thinking more on their own… two of them are the scouting and hunting party leaders… it's why I chose them. The rest are still trying to learn."

"...sister?" Vella walks in without a second thought. "You're taking a  **really**  long time." Yep, just like Lupus guessed. "Nervous… scared? Brother, you too?"

"...not scared." Keaty immediately denied. "What are you doing in here?" He puts on the 'alpha' Keaty.

To which she looks at Lupus, "What's wrong?"

"Just talking with Keaty… kinda concerned for the pack."

"Brother's got it handled… so don't worry."

...Keaty hasn't told Vella? "Can't help it, human side." Lupus quickly supplies… only partially a lie.

"Oh…" Thankfully, Vella agrees. "What can I do…"

"Velouria. Out." Keaty cuts her off, more on edge than before. "Now."

"Brother…"

"You can talk to her later. Leave." His fur bristles and Lupus can practically  **feel**  his Wolfsegger form seeping out.

"Hmph…" She scoffs, "I'll see you later, then…" Hurt, sad.

"Keaty?" Lupus asks when she leaves. "You're really stressed." And it can't  **just**  be the… "How much human stuff are you trying to learn right now?"

"Only a bit."

"Keaty…" Lupus starts, unconvinced.

"Small talk. Asking. Getting help. And the… 'tactics'." He admits.

"That's way too much at once." She points out the, what is hopefully, the obvious. "And the 'tactics' is way past us. You're overworking yourself, and it's going to hurt the pack."

"I'm the alpha, Lupus.  **I'm**  the one we rely on."

"That's a lie." She points out, " **You**  rely on Dadaan and the scouting party leader to command their groups.  **You**  rely on me to help the pack with the human things. This isn't just the alpha anymore, Keaty."

"I know that!" And now he's contradicting himself. "And…" He groans. "I'm just having trouble, alright? Happy!? The alpha isn't as confident as he should be."

Lupus takes a step back, suddenly overwhelmed with his attitude. "Keaty? Maybe we should talk about this later?"

His Beaststone finally stops glowing, he takes a breath, and nods. "Right… leave." Unlike Vella, Lupus turns and leaves without a word, opting to obey the order without question… just like things 'used' to be.

So many things to work through… and all of this while they have a number of humans set on killing the pack. No wonder Keaty is so worked up.

Lupus couldn't even have a minute to herself before Vella was already coming to her, a satisfied smile on her face, "Sister!" She immediately takes to hugging, with her tail wagging rather wildly.

"Sister." Lupus responds in kind, returning the hug… if with less enthusiasm.

"What's wrong?" She quickly picks up.

"Getting a bit overwhelmed. A lot of things happening." Now that she thinks about it, she's not surprised Keaty didn't tell Vella any of this. Who knows how violently Vella would react if she thought that Lupus would be in danger? Besides… one of the weakest of the pack held his own against the stronger, older males when it came to human ideas. How much power would that give Vella? A Wolfskin who  **was**  on par with Keaty before his Wolfsegger form. Vella is probably the second strongest in the pack right now… a bitch is the second strongest. It's usually several males that hold the top positions, but not here.

The pack is truly different here.

"Brother will lead us just fine." Stubbornness shows. "Wanna play?"

Now? This isn't the best time, not with the fact they're going to have to leave tonight. She wonders if Keaty had sent another scouting party to find another den. She actually kinda doubts it, if only because of how much he's trying to sort through. "Gentle and slow." Lupus finally replies.

"Chase, then?" Vella tilts her head.

She nods, "Chase."

* * *

Oh… does Lupus need to work on her endurance again. She is extremely thankful she wanted to go slow and gentle. Lupus ended up giving in within a much shorter time than she usually would. Her heart's racing, her breathing is coming out quick, and she is just… tired. So, for now at least, she's resting on Vella's body, content with just lying down. Especially when she starts stroking her hair. "Mmm…" Lupus hums.

"You haven't been running as much, have you?" Well, the answer is obvious. "Humans must be lazy, then."

"They don't have a reason to move as much as we do, Vella." Lupus counters, if a bit defensi… of course she would be defensive! Her blood family are humans, and she cares for them just as much as the pack. She soon groans, conveniently in time for a well-placed scratch. Why do things have to be so difficult? Why does she have to feel so torn between the pack and her family? Why can't everyone just be together?

Why is she already feeling homesick…  **again**?! It's not fair!

"What were you talking about earlier, with Keaty?" She instead prods. "He's been really tense lately and he won't say why."

Lupus would have responded to that question, had she not felt like something was… off. "Uh, sister?" She raises her head, her ears twitching. Vella seems to have picked up on Lupus's concerns. As such, the two are completely silent. In fact, the entire pack was silent in that moment. Why?

There is always some sound outside of the den. Especially the birds, the birds are never quiet. "Move!" Keaty is the first to sound out, perhaps recognizing whatever Lupus can't. All except for Lupus immediately start moving. Simply put, it was her human side holding her interest. No! She has to move, her brother, the alpha… A Wolfskin fell from out of the nearby trees, his body has been pierced several times over with well-placed arrows. One near his foot, one coming from out of his eye, a third in his neck. A second one soon follows, his fur burnt in several spots, but this couldn't have been a normal fire. " **Lupus** ,  **move**!" Keaty repeats.

She snaps out of her trance and follows his order… right as an arrow zipped by her head. Had she not moved, she would have a new wooden appendage sticking out of her head. "That's right… run." She turns her head for the briefest of moments, spotting a single archer twirling another arrow in his hand. "It makes it much more… fun." White hair, an eyepatch, and one sinister looking smirk on his face.

Lupus focuses on the area in front of her. "K-Keaty…?" She pants.

"Don't recognize him." He quickly answers, before noticing how relatively tired she is. "Lupus." He firmly states.

"Played some…" She admits. "Not as fit." He doesn't need to voice his disapproval. She knows what he would probably ask… why now? He  **just**  told her that the conduit fell… which means the humans could be encroaching soon.

"Sister!" Vella comes into view.

"Change direction!" Dadaan calls out, "Fire on our left!" A fire, now?! How? Keaty lets out a deep growl.

The pack shifts to the right in response. "Elfire!" ...Huh? No more than a few seconds later, the trees behind Lupus burst into flames.

…

The pack is being lead into a specific spot. "Br-brother…"

"We don't  **have**  another direction, Lupus." He seems to recognize it, too. "We'll burn if we turn now." Which is more of a problem for the Wolfskin due to their fur.

"Arcfire!" Another word sounds out, causing the trees to their right to start burning, effectively turning the path into a straight line…

And into a clearing. However at this point, the pack has stopped. It doesn't take a mastermind to figure out what went on. Especially since there stands a group of humans in this clearing. In the dead center stands a woman, long purple hair, enough to cover most of her head, brushes it aside to reveal murderous eyes. "Oh, that was far too easy…" Contrary to her dangerous scent, she sounds like she's ready to cradle a pup.

"Took them long enough…" Another woman, red hair, done in twintails long enough to reach past her waist.

"On your orders…" A  **third**  woman, short light-blue hair, with a dead expression. And among these three women stood two of those dragon mounts.

"Those are the three." Vella harshly whispers.

A massive axe lies in the purple-hair's grasp. A sword and small shield for the red-head. A slightly smaller axe for the light-blue hair. "Just a pack of wild animals, with no real grasp on real battle tactics." The purple hair continues. "A few minor hazards and they run down the only safe route… right into an even more dangerous area." Her eyes scan the pack, before landing on Lupus. "And there she is.  **You**  must be Corrin."

Lupus startles, but manages to stay silent, "She's Corrin?" Red hair, "Hmph."

"Sister?" Vella whispers.

"I don't know them."

"I'll admit, you  **are**  cute." Purple hair smiles, "It's a shame father wasn't able to bring you to us. I would have  **loved**  to have someone like you to spoil…"

"Lady Camilla…" Light-blue hair. "We need to make this quick."

To which Camilla tuts, "Now now, Beruka. We have the surroundings cut off…" She says, as if she thinks she can't be heard.

"...understood." Is all Beruka replies with.

"Let's just get this over with!" Red hair. "It's humid, my hair's drying up. It's going to take a long bath to get my shine back!"

"Selena dear… I'll be sure to buy you some extra special shampoo when we get back, alright?" Camilla turns to her. "But, I agree… this mountain air is not agreeing with my hair, either." Whatever careful and caring tone in her voice leaves, "Orders are orders… and we have a pack of wolves to kill." She  **winks**  at Lupus, "Nothing against you, darling."

"Keaty?" Lupus asks.

He responds by shifting into his Wolfsegger form… the pack follows suit with their Wolfskin form. Lupus brings up the tail end with her own dragon form. No vocal orders are issued as the pack closes in. Camilla is right, there  **is**  nowhere else to go. Smoke rises from all directions.

So, even if the pack does somehow end up killing these three women, they'll be trapped in a ring of fire. Lupus gulps as she faces the fact… they aren't going to survive this. "Fire!" Camilla exclaims, sending out a ball of fire at the pack, forcing them to split. The two dragon mounts screech as they break off, taking to the air and swooping down from the sides. Despite their bulky bodies, they prove to be very quick, lowering themselves just long enough to strike, then back into the air. Camilla sends out several more fire spells, scattering the Wolfskin even more.

They simply can't afford to be hit by even one… their fur would be consumed by the flames. And without a proper means to get rid of the flames, that Wolfskin would have to break off from the pack, lest their flames spread to the others. But, there is also another problem of the pack avoiding the fire… as the grass around them starts to catch flames. Lupus quickly thinks things over… she's the only one without fur, so… "Fire!" Camilla shouts once more, but this time? Lupus grits her draconic maw as she takes the brunt of the spell.

"Sister!" Vella roars.

Burns, hot, so hot, but her scales keep her from roasting. At least… a Wolfskin wasn't hit. At least the ground isn't burning more than it is now. Lupus is willing to take the hits. Something Camilla seems to have picked up on. "Oh, do you like the heat?" She  **coos**  with a murderous look on her face, "I'd be happy to share some more. Fire!" Another ball is sent straight towards her, and she lowers her wing to prevent her from being hit in the same spot. Hot, hot, hot. She can feel the sizzling, the heat of the spell spreading through her.

She won't last long against more of them. Camilla doesn't seem to care as she sends another one. The two dragon mounts as well as those other two women are holding back the pack just fine. That is, until a select few Wolfskin land their first real hits. Vella is obviously one of them, hers strong enough to nearly shatter the shield Selena was using… a feat major enough to have the red-hair to shoot a look of disbelief. Dadaan is the second, cracking through Beruka's defense by slamming into her arm. Keaty's the third,  **yanking**  one of the dragon mounts as it swoops down, before effectively snapping its head with a single, sickening crack. Which had to have been Beruka's, as she lashed out at Dadaan, with enough force to stagger him. He quickly pulls back to have another Wolfskin take his spot.

A fourth fireball hits Lupus, this time on her other side. By now, she's panting, not from excess running, but from the sheer heat. Her vision is starting to blur from the steam surrounding her body. Hot, hot, so hot… She stamps on the ground in an attempt to focus herself. "Now see, had these wolves let father bring you to us, we wouldn't be fighting right now." Camilla takes a moment to say, "I would have given you all of the affection you could possibly handle and then some… but, that just isn't the case, now is it? You have made yourself an enemy of Nohr… a threat to  **my family**. And no-one hurts  **my family**." A short pause, "Fire!"

In response, Lupus opens her maw as she felt some sort of pressure build up. Right before the fireball was about to slam her on her face, it… fizzled out? No wait… water? But, it isn't raining. Not that a simple rainfall could stop something like that. A moment later and she realized that water came from  **her**. "And the pack is  **my**  family." Lupus responds in kind, that pressure building up again. "I won't let  **you**  take them from me!" Camilla, not being bothered by the fact Lupus stopped her fireball, shoots another one. So in return, Lupus lets out another water stream, this one going much further and faster, enough to pierce the fire and eat straight through Camilla's armor.

"Lady Camilla!" Selena quickly shouts, cutting a gash into Vella.

A howl soon follows, Beruka strikes… wait. No, she isn't wielding an axe right now. The Wolfskin that  **was**  surrounding her has backed off. Two, three lie dead around her. Lupus isn't a beast herself, but she recognizes that distinct fear, as a scent fills the air. Not death, not blood, but a toxin found only on a single type of weapon.

Beruka pulled out a Beast Killer, though it seems to also be shorter than the average lance that it's usually made with.

But, there's also nowhere to run.

The blank expression on her face hasn't changed as she swings it around, forcing the surrounding Wolfskin back through sheer fear. Beruka has already proven to be far stronger than most humans… and now she's wielding a Beast Killer. It's only natural to keep some distance. "Focus, dear." Camilla took that time to charge at Lupus. "Beruka, Selena… do be a pair of sweeties and take care of the rest." She brings her axe down on Lupus, who barely manages to avoid it. Lupus gets in a stray hit with her tail, but it doesn't do nearly as much as that water stream. "Oh, how I longed for another sibling…" She suddenly states. "And when father told us he was going to adopt a little sister? I couldn't have been more excited!"

"I was  **stolen**  from my father!" Lupus growls.

"And these beasts stole you from us." She  **smiles** , "We would have given you a much better life. There would have been no need to work yourself so hard."

"You humans have enough resources to laze around all day." And unlike the other times, Lupus feels no regret for saying 'you humans', "The struggle is what makes the packs strong.  **You**  humans have to rely on traps and poisons."

"And yet here we are, fighting you head on." She points out.

" **She**  has a Beast Killer."

"And I don't. Neither does Selena. And our Wyverns don't have toxins on their claws." Her murderous smile has yet to fade, "Or perhaps, you just underestimate humans? Perhaps if we had raised you, you would also be as strong as us."

…

She's right. Hina managed to stand her ground against Lupus after just a few matches. Takumi has a precision and power with his bow that makes the archers, including that white hair one, look like beginners. Ryoma is almost impossibly skilled with his sword. Saizo avoided her attacks for quite a while and Kagero managed to sneak up on her.

And now here these three humans are, standing their ground against the entire pack… just as they apparently did with the previous alpha.

Lupus hisses as Camilla lands her first axe strike on Lupus. "Sister!" Vella rushes, but is held back by Beruka, who now stands guard around Camilla… with Selena beside Beruka. The two women are effectively creating a barrier between Camilla, Lupus, and the rest of the pack.

Lupus can feel the heat of the surrounding fires getting ever closer. It's getting to the point where the smoke is starting to settle in. "Come now, I'm sure you'd rather have a quick, clean death… rather than having your body heat and boil, suffocating from the ash and smoke." Camilla  **coos**  again, "And I'm only offering it to you, dear. Let me lay you down to rest, I'll make sure you won't feel anything."

She's... insane! How can anyone talk about murdering another so… casually?! "No!" She quickly denies, "I won't let you kill me!"

"If I don't, the fires will." She rubs the shaft of her axe, "I don't want you to hurt for so long…" Camilla is forced to step back from an enraged strike from Lupus.

"I said.  **No**!" A second… at this point, Lupus is 'cornered', and there is one fact about Wolfskin… or any beast.

A cornered beast is the most dangerous. A third, a fourth, Lupus keeps forcing Camilla to move back. Despite her huge size, she's proving to be fast… maybe even faster than those Wyverns. Slash, rip, Lupus scores a few cuts. It seems she's finally managing to get the upper hand…

Then she's blindsided by Selena, who is being guarded by Beruka. The smell of death rises, more must have fallen to the Beast Killer-wielding woman. "I see…" Camilla frowns. "Then I regret to say it, but it looks like you'll have the worst of the deaths… bleeding out whilst the flames lick and burn your body… maybe you'll even be missing a limb or two? Or how about a wing? Would you mind if I took your horns as a trophy? I could fashion them into something for my family… Ooo, especially your scales."

One moment, Camilla compliments Lupus on her looks, then Camilla talks about how she would have cared for her, then it's giving her a 'clean death', and now she's talking about wanting to  **use**  her body as a decoration?! How crazy is this woman!? Another howl. Four, maybe five Wolfskin? She can even pick up Vella's whimpering.

…

It was clear the moment the fires surrounded them that they were going to fall, but she didn't expect these women to be so skilled. Nor so insane. Camilla's right in that regard, Lupus underestimated them. 'Just a few humans'. 'Humans can't be as strong as Wolfskin'. Oh, how wrong she was.

Lupus's earlier vigor has been replaced with dread… fear. If they aren't going to make it… it would be easier to just…

No!

Lupus dodges a strike. She won't give in. If she's going down, then she'll make sure these women go down with her. Lupus lands another deep cut… only to get a slash from that damn red hair. Then another howl as Beruka strikes down a Wolfskin attempting to attack Selena. "Well, it seems you've had it, dear… it's time for me to put you to sleep." Camilla smiles as she brings her axe down once more. Time seems to slow down as Lupus is stilling. Too much blood, the smoke is getting to her.

…

Cling. The distinct sound of metal on metal sounds out. "Princess Camilla…" Rough-sounding voice, sort of tired… Spicy? "Falling to cheap tricks, I see." Hina?! "Sky Knights! On me!"

"Oh-ho. What a surprise… Princess Hinoka." Camilla replies in kind.

Lupus wearily looks up to see her big sister with a weapon that is like a lance… but it has a shield of sorts around the shaft. "Lady Camilla!" Selena calls out, having to hop back from an arrow.

"Princess Hinoka!" Another voice Lupus recognizes, "The eastern side is being cleared out now." Superman?

"Then let's get moving!" Hina shouts, "Our Pegasi won't last long in this intense heat!"

"Lady Camilla?" Beruka calls out. "We…"

"Pull back." She scowls. "Do  **not**  give chase." A short pause, "The magical barrier isn't going to stay this weak, we literally can't keep fighting." She whistles as she pulls back from Hina. "C'mon sweetie, you'll need to carry three for a bit…" She coos at her mount.

"Oh no…" Vella starts.

"Velouria. No." Keaty calls her out.

"But I…"

" **No**." Taking one look at Camilla, Vella nods.

"C'mon." Hina goads Lupus.

"Keaty?" Lupus asks.

The alpha, her brother, stares Hina down. Doubt still lines his scent… he is obviously considering if the pack is being lead into another trap. "Lupus?" He finally asks.

Who looks at Hina. "I trust her. She's my big sister."

Reluctantly, Keaty nods. "Let's go." He simply commands.

The pack shifts back to their normal forms, as does Lupus. However, she stumbles the next step and coughs a mixture of blood and  **ash**. Did she really breathe that much in? "I got…" Hina starts.

"Back. Off." Vella growls. "I'll get  **my**  sister." Vella hefts Lupus up gently, then carries her as if she weighs nothing. "Don't worry… I'll get you to safety." She whispers as the adrenaline wears off. Lupus passes out soon after… too drained, too much blood, too much heat and ash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awwwwww yeahhh… The first real fight scene in this fic. How I praise the fact that I finally got to get one up in here. I loooove typing these up!
> 
> Oh, and look who couldn't really stay away. Hina's 'big sister' instincts must have been tingling. I'm sure that once she saw that smoke rising, she doubled her speed, but still…
> 
> Why isn't Seta there? Even though Superman was? What exactly did Hina accomplish within two days?
> 
> Ah, and Camilla… whew. I managed to get the fact out that Camilla would have loved to dote on Corrin, but since she never was there, alongside the fact that she's an enemy of Nohr… I got to show off Camilla's psychotic side. Do note that Camilla only talked about using Lupus's dragon body for decoration and random things, but not the rest of the pack. Oh, did that cause some rather vivid images in my head to pop up.
> 
> Oh yeah, and I suppose Niles made a brief appearance... but who cares about him?
> 
> Anyway… Keaty ultimately accepting to follow Hina? I wonder what will come of this? On one hand, she did just save the pack… but more importantly, she went out of her way to save the pack. Will that be enough to have Keaty make an exception? Or will the deep-rooted hatred overcome that?
> 
> *Announcer's voice* Find out next on… 'Corrin, of the Wolfskin'!


	27. Adaptation: Adjustments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which more things happen… that don’t necessarily fall under ‘good’.
> 
> I also hope it’s kinda obvious I’ve been waiting to get to this section of the fic… due to the length of these last two chapters, and how closely they were posted. I literally finished this off less than a day after posting the last one, and the only work that really needed to be done was the simple grammar and spelling errors.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

By the time Lupus had recovered enough to be conscious, she noticed a few things. One was that she quickly vomited… but no blood, no ashes. In fact, aside from that vomit, the air smelled really clean. The second was that she wasn’t experiencing the feeling of  **burning**  so much… that is, until she placed a hand on the spots where she was struck. Still hot, but not that hot. Lupus nods to herself, it was rough, but they made it. They survived.

Where is Hina?

Following her nose for that spicy scent, Lupus walks from the cave to the outside. She squints her eyes as she walks out. This certaintly is not like the last den, as there are only three caves. There are a total of three Wolfskin off to the side… Lupus doesn’t need to approach to know, she can smell the scent of death from here. That’s three to the already relatively small number they have. She can see that their Beaststones are still there, too. Well, those are theirs, after all. It would be an insult to take them… even if they can’t be used.

Looking around the grounds, she can see that Keaty is sorta fidgeting, leaning against a tree, talking to Hina. Or, rather… Hina is talking to him. Keaty notices her presence far before Hina, and he clicks his tongue. “Gods, sister…” Hina quickly pulls Lupus into a tight embrace, “You’re alive… I… I saw the smoke pillars from the nearby fort and… Gods, you’re safe now.”

“No, we aren’t.” Keaty bluntly states. “We won’t ever be safe, Hina.”

“I… you know what I mean.” Oh dear. “Er, sorry… I, wha-!” Hina squeaks as Lupus twists her and her sister around. “C-Corrin?!”

“Get off of  **my**  sister!” Vella, she looks like she  **should**  still be resting, as even with her fur, she can see that her skin isn’t as healthy as it should look. “Lupus is…”

“Velouria. Stop.” Keaty  **growls** . “Superman advised you to rest. So rest.  **Now** .”

“I won’t…” Vella stubbornly starts.

“Sister, please.” Lupus speaks up. “I’m allowed to have more than one sister.”

She glares at Hina, “That’s not the point! She’s…” Vella clamps her mouth shut.

“Let me guess… she’s ‘human’?” Vella’s silence was all the confirmation that Lupus needed. “She just saved us, Vella. She and the others went out of their way to save us. If you don’t want to accept that she’s also my sister, then at least treat her with the respect of someone who helped us!”

Vella looks between Hina and Lupus, before stiffly nodding. “...thank you. Hina.” She turns on her heel and leaves.

“Uh…” Hina starts.

“She’s having trouble.” Lupus supplies. “She has a serious obsession with me. I was going to try and help with that yesterday, but…” But the pack was lured into a trap. They were almost slaughtered. Lupus was about to be scaled and turned into decorations for an insane woman… but, Hina, her big sister, saved them.

“Hey, I’m here for you.” Her hug has tightened as Lupus visibly trembles. “I swear, as long as I can stay by your side, I won’t let anything bad happen to you.” A pause, “But, I also won’t push my presence. If you tell me to, Keaty, then I’ll make my leave. I… can’t say I understand it all, but I’m going to try and…”

“She was going to scale me.” Lupus interrupts, causing a thick silence to cover the area. “She said she was going to take my horns and use them as decorations. I… I’ve seen skinned Wolfskin, and I’m aware of what happens, but… I never imagine  **myself**  in the same position. She talked about how she was going turn me into ornaments for her family and...” By now, Lupus is crying, just from the images popping in her head… of a Camilla sitting down with a knife and... what? Her scales as armor? Her horns for the haft of a weapon? Her body as blanket? Her skull for a trophy? She shakes her head, make it stop. Make it stop! Make…

“Sister, sister!” Hina forcibly shakes her, snapping her out of her thoughts. That fiery spark in her eyes is burning bright again. “Who?! I’ll… I’d skewer them just for even thinking that!”

“Purple-hair, Camilla.” Lupus quickly responds.

“Bloodthirsty bitch.” Are the two words that drop out of her mouth.

“Bitches have more sense than that, Hina.” Keaty speaks up. “Watch what words you use.”

Hina blinked her eyes, before realizing how Keaty just took that. “Oh, I… it’s just. When humans use it, it’s meant as an insult, not because we’re actually describing someone to  **be**  an actual, yeah…” And now she’s hesitant to actually use the word.

He sighs, “Bitch is a normal word. There’s nothing offensive about calling a female Wolfskin a bitch. Bitches…”

“I get it!” Hina  **cuts**  him off.

“Sister?” Lupus asks, her eyes still teary, but otherwise the images have vanished and she has managed to steady herself, “Maybe you should take a moment to calm down?” Not that was the exact reason why she was asking.

Something that Hina thankfully picked up on. “Right, I should see if I can help some of the Wolfskin, anyway.” At last, she releases her embrace. “I’ll talk to you later, alright? She waves goodbye as she walks to one of the dens… slowly.

“Keaty?” Lupus asks after she is out of ear-shot. “How are you?”

“Recovered. Selena didn’t do much to me.” He shrugs it off. “Velouria was reckless, she took several hits, but… she also did the most damage.” A pause, “I’m having a hard time believing it… humans took their time… to… save us?” He frowns, “Or is this only because you are family to them? If you weren’t here, would have they let us burn?”

Lupus thinks it over, “I think…” She starts. “Those Nohrian humans were causing a lot of damage to the area. I think they would have helped, anyway.”

“Yeah, the forest… but what about  **us** ?” He presses. “They can fight to protect their land all they want, but would they fight for  **us** ? If  **you**  weren’t here, would Hina still have saved us?”

“I… I don’t know, Keaty!” She wants to say yes, but she honestly doesn’t know. “What about the rest?” She shifts the subject, “What about Superman, is he still helping?”

He huffs, “Him and Hina had a lot of healing supplies on them already, which ended up saving most of the Wolfskin that were struck by Beruka’s Beast Killer,” A pause, “Doesn’t change the fact we lost three Wolfskin. The pack can’t keep going like this. If we lose anymore… we’d need more of the pack to become Wolfseggers to continue with this few.” And that is certainly  **not**  an easy task. Maybe Vella? Dadaan is proven to be pretty strong, but… “It takes a lot of energy, Lupus.” He answers her unasked question. “I burned through several bears by  **myself** … we don’t have that kind of meat here. The older Wolfskin would have an advantage there, they wouldn’t have to push themselves as much, but us? We’re younger, we aren’t as trained. And a burst of energy from protecting like how Vella or Dadaan does isn’t enough. Wolfsegger requires the Wolfskin to constantly maintain that level of strength… not just because the Wolfskin is under some adrenaline.”

“Oh.” Is all she responds with.

“Lupus.”

“Yes, brother?” She tilts her head.

“I’m going to need  **you**  to talk to your sister.” He certainly doesn’t sound happy about it. “Can’t get through to her why I am  **not**  allowing more humans here, even if they ‘healers’.” Oh… “I’m going to round up the healthiest of the pack. Still need to get food.” He walks off.

Lupus sighs… oh, Hina. Once more, she follows the spicy trail. This time it leads to the den she was just in earlier. Wasn’t she going to help some of the Wolfskin? “Sister?” She calls out, startling her.

“Hey, little sister.” She even sounds a bit… sad?

“Having trouble?”

“I keep using the wrong words with him.” She bluntly replies. “I say what I mean, but he keeps getting a different meaning out of what I’m saying! It’s… ugh.” She sighs, “I tried talking to him about getting a few Shrine Maidens here, but I don’t know how to get it out without him taking offense. Sister, could…”

“No.” Lupus cuts her off.

“The Wolfskin here…”

“No.”

“But, they…”

“No.” Slowly, it seems Hina is getting more and more bothered by this. “Do you know why he won’t take them?”

“Why wouldn’t he? They’re healers! Shrine Maidens don’t have  **any**  training in weapons, so I…”

“He doesn’t trust them.”

“Huh? But they didn’t do anything to the pack!”

“They’re humans.”

“So am I!”

“You and Superman saved the pack.”

“Super… oh right, Subaki.” Another sigh, this one more irritated. “Well, that means he trusts…”

“No, he doesn’t. He  **respects**  the fact that you saved the pack, he doesn’t  **trust**  you or Superman. The Wolfskin aren’t stupid, Hina. He understands that if you two didn’t come in, that we would have all died, but that doesn’t mean he’s just going to let you do what you want. He’ll let you and Superman help out the pack, but  **only**  you both. Nobody else.” Lupus takes a breath, still feeling rather bad for scolding her sister like this, “There’s a lot of bad feelings in the Wolfskin against humans. They’ve been hunted and killed for so many years, and a single rescue isn’t going to be enough to change their minds.”

“But, I…”

“However, doing that also helped make a starting point for a better relationship. I’m not saying it’ll happen while we’re still alive, but if things like this keep happening, then there will be a bond later on.” Lupus pauses, but continues before Hina speaks up, “But, one of the things that you are going to have to do here is  **obey**  him. As long as you’re here, you are going to have to follow Wolfskin tradition, and one of the biggest things is that when the alpha wants something done, it gets done. If he tells you to stop, you stop. This isn’t like our family… Vella being his sister does  **not**  give her any privileges. If he had a mate, then even she wouldn’t be able to do anything without his approval. He’s willing to give you some room since you weren’t raised a Wolfskin, but not that much. If you keep pushing topics like that, he will snap back. He might even go and force you both out.”

“He would… attack us?”

“ **We**  would attack you.” She corrects.

“I don’t get why, since…” Hina blinks as her mind properly processes what Lupus just said, “ **We** ? As in… you, too?” Lupus slowly nods, regretful, yes… but it’s the truth. “I… sister?”

“If he made the order, Hina. Then I’d listen and obey.”

“...but, we’re  **family** !” Hina is clearly hurt by this, so much so that her eyes are already shining with tears. “He can’t force you…”

“The pack comes first, Hina. Seta knows, even though she hasn’t experienced it herself.” A breath, “Believe me, I wouldn’t want to, but Keaty is the alpha. The pack obeys the alpha. That’s how it has been, and that’s how it’s going to be.”

Hina looks away, “Alright then… how much longer, then? Before he tells us to leave?”

“Depends. Are you able to help the Beast Killer struck Wolfskin recover?”

“I managed to convince him to have Subaki fly to a nearby fort to gather some special herbs for advanced poisons, I… don’t know if they’ll have the right ones. I’m certain Castle Shirasagi has those herbs, though.”

Lupus thinks it over, “And how long would it take for him to go to and from the Castle?”

“Without having his Pegasus collapse from exhaustion? Three, maybe four days.”

“Keaty will force you to leave the second day, then.”

“Even with the promise of proper treatment?! We don’t have everything on hand in every location, sister!” Oh, and there is that fire again. “If the fort doesn’t have the herbs, could you  **please**  try and have him accept Subaki to go to the Castle and back?! I don’t want these Wolfskin to die on my watch. I don’t care if I didn’t grow up with them, they didn’t commit any wrongs, they’re innocents, and  **innocents shouldn’t be left to die!** ” Her voice has slowly raised into an outright yell. Tears still sting her eyes, but they coming more from anger this time. “It doesn’t matter what ‘race’ they are. If… If there were a group of Nohrian villagers left to die out in the Hoshidan plains, then I’d lend a hand to them, too! We aren’t like those Nohrian scum that are ‘Royalty’, if there is someone in need, then by the gods we are going to help them!” Her body shakes as she gets the rest of her rant out… then her eyes widen, “I’m sorry, I… gods, I just  **yelled**  at you.” She backs up to the wall, now ashamed.

“I can try.” Lupus simply replies… maybe with that kind of determination to help, Keaty could accept? “I can’t promise he’ll agree, but I’ll try.”

“...thank you, sister.” Yet once more, Hina’s fire has been calmed. She’s really having a tough time. “I’ll… be here if you need me.”

Nodding, Lupus heads out once more. This time to Keaty.

* * *

Out of the current cave, across the area, and into another, much smaller, cave. Lupus lets herself in, to where Keaty is, predictably, leaning against the cave wall… but this time, Dadaan is already in here. He also has seem to mostly recover, thankfully. “...ing any help.” He informs Keaty.

“Let me guess, because Lupus isn’t beside her?” Huh?

“No, it’s more because she’s…” Dadaan ears twitch, enough to silently acknowledge Lupus’s presence, “She won’t accept Hina’s help. She only takes Superman’s help.”

Keaty groans. “Stubborn… Yes, what is it?” He stops just long enough to ask Lupus.

“Vella?” She assumes.

“Yep.” He curtly replies, “She won’t let Hina help heal her, and since Superman is currently out, that means she has no way of getting any actual recovering in. I’d go over there and order her, but  **I**  have things to take care of, too.”

Jeez, what is Lupus today… the messenger?! “I also came to ask about possibly allowing Superman enough time to travel to Castle Shirasagi and back if he can’t find the herbs at the nearby fort.”

“Too long.” Of course. “You should know.”

“I do.”

“Then get it into Hina’s head that I’m not allowing it.” A little snappy now, isn’t he? “Listen, I get she’s your sister. I get she wasn’t raised by Wolfskin. I get she isn’t used to how Wolfskin live, but as long as she’s here…”

“She has to live by our traditions… I know. I told her that, Keaty.” Lupus calmly replies. “But, the toxins probably won’t ever leave their bodies, and our numbers are few enough as is.”

“I  **know** . But I don’t trust them. Which is something you should also know.” Walking a dangerous line here…

“Hina is willing to help us through the injuries, but she can’t without the proper things.”

He grits his teeth… but then takes a breath. “Dadaan?”

“I respect the fact that she saved us, Lupus.” The other starts, “But we can’t just let them take several days’ worth of trips.”

“Even if it will save the others?”

“Lupus. Listen to yourself.  **You**  are  **not**  thinking like a Wolfskin right now, you’re thinking like a human. You know how we live.”

“I’m aware.” She quickly replies, “But I’m also aware that we…”

“Lupus.” Keaty this time, “Leave.” He  **growls** . Keaty the ‘brother’ is gone, and it’s back to Keat the ‘alpha’. “ **Now** .” As such, she turns and leaves without a shred of protest. Pushing him anymore will just bring bad news.

The den is still unusually silent without all of the Wolfskin out and about… making cringe-worthy conversations. Shrugging with a heavy sigh, she plays her role once more and heads over to Vella, who apparently needs a reminder that she does, in fact,  **need**  to be healed, regardless of  **who**  does it. So, out of the smaller cave and into a much larger one, where there are a number of Wolfskin around, resting.

And on one end, she can pick up the distinct, sickening scent of the toxins that drip from a Beast Killer.

“Sister.” Lupus calls Vella out as she approaches. And, wow…

She  **is**  looking rather weak. “Sist…” Vella coughs.

“You need rest.” Lupus bluntly states.

“You’re here, so I’ll be fine.” She sniffs.

“My presence can’t heal you.”

“Better than…” Cough, “ **Her** .” She growls, saliva drooling out. Eye narrowed, Beaststone slightly glowing. Lupus is getting anything but good vibes from this. “Don’t like… Hina.” Lupus internally sighs and ignores that insult.

And, contradicting her recent statement, she tugs Vella up. “Turn.” Lupus’s eyes scan over Vella.

“I’m…”

“Not fine. Can’t lie to me.” Lupus cuts her off as she drops lower. This isn’t just Vella recovering from cuts and gashes. Yet, she also doesn’t seem to be a victim of Beruka’s Beast Killer. Nothing on her chest, back, legs, waist, rear end, tail… She jerks Vella’s only piece of clothing off without a second thought. Shoulders, face, back of her head, everything seems to be just fine.

“Sister, I said…”

“You’ve been scratched...” She cuts her off again. “Between your neck and shoulder, right at the base. Vella, what struck you?”

She shrugs, “I don’t know, I never noticed.” A little aggressive there, isn’t she? “Listen, sister, I…”

“Sister, be quiet.” Lupus takes a closer look at the wound, some small claw marks… must have been one of those dragon mounts. Some small amount of blood is coming out, but it doesn’t smell right. Not like what blood should smell like. Despite having a personal distaste for raw meat, Lupus can't deny the sickly-sweet allure of blood, but… Vella's blood smelled anything but sweet. Vile, rank… tainted. “You’re sick.” Not that Lupus knows with what, she just knows that Vella has caught  **something**  from that dragon mount, or maybe it came after? Did something enter her open wounds?

“I said, I feel…” Still so aggressive, too...

“And when was the last time you were so angry with me? I’m only trying to help!”

“I’m  **not**  angry!” She paradoxically shouts back. “Maybe I do need some rest, so…” She growls…

Vella just  **growled**  at her.

…

**Vella**  just  **growled**  at  **Lupus** .

Trying to keep herself calm, she shakes her head, “Nope, that’s it. Hina’s gonna use one of those ‘Festals’ and heal you, sister.  **Hinaaa!** ”

“Don’t call for that piece of…” A short silence, “She’s not going to take you from me!”  **Pushing**  Lupus aside, Vella bolts out. Wait, what? …Vella is worried about ‘Hina taking Lupus from Vella’? No, that’s not the important thing right now...

Not good, not good. Lupus follows, “ **Keaty! Dadaan!** ” She calls out instead, since they'll easily pick up on her distress faster, “ **Vella needs help!** ” A short pause, “ **Hina! HINA!** ” Vella’s scent is much more… sour than it should be. Whatever she has in her is really intense. A loud neigh sounds out… Hina’s Pegasus. From out of the cave Hina was just in, she bolts out, smoothly stopping by her mount and grabs her shield-lance. Oh dear… not good. “Hina?!” Lupus frantically asks, “Hina!”

She isn’t untouched, either. There’s a  **huge**  chunk of her chest armor missing, literally torn off. “She just tried to tear my heart out!” Even she sounds understandably shaken. "Vella just tried to rip me apart!" Hina’s Sky Knight armor, at least in the front, is almost all gone, in probably one swipe. Yet, that still wasn’t the end of it, as her left breast has suffered three moderate scratches. Lupus can quickly tell how it happened. Vella charged in, tried to claw into Hina’s chest, but she backed up, hence why only one of her breasts were clawed.

The next second, both Keaty and Dadaan were there. “Infected.” Is the first word to come out of Keaty’s mouth. “Dadaan?”

“I don’t know… the herbal bitch would know…”

“But she isn’t alive.” Keaty finishes, before shooting a glare at Hina.

“I didn’t do anything! You had several Wolfskin watch Subaki and me.  **She’s**  the only one acting like that!”

“Keaty… Vella has claw marks near her neck. I think it’s from one of those dragon mounts.”

“It could have been diseased.” Hina suddenly supplies.

“Why would they ride a sick mount?” Dadaan shoots back.

“Not both of them, just Camilla.”

“What do you know?” Lupus tries to calmly ask.

“Camilla isn’t a Wyvern Rider or trained to be a Wyvern Lord… only Malig Knights are trained...”

“Get to the point, human!” Keaty growls.

“Malig Knights don’t always ride  **live**  wyverns. Unlike a Wyvern Rider or Lord, they  **never switch mounts** . If their wyvern dies, they just use Dark Magic and bring it back to life!”

“Bringing the…” Lupus pauses, unable to wrap her head around the idea.

“Because of that, their mounts are not just dangerous because of their talons and teeth, but also because they’ll carry lethal diseases. Their riders are the only ones immune to them due to the Dark Magic that bonds them!”

“L-Lethal…?” Lupus breathes. “Then, Vella…?”

“If she was injured by Camilla’s undead wyvern, then she probably has a serious infection right now!”

“ **Why**  didn’t you mention this before?!” Keaty growls.

“I’m  **assuming**  Camilla’s wyvern was brought back from the dead. I wasn’t around long enough to look at it. Who actually fought the mount? Did it have glowing eyes? Discolored scales?!” A short pause.

The group is as silent as the cave Vella is dwelling in. “Red.” Dadaan finally speaks up. “They were glowing red, enough to leave a small trail of light from them. Some scales looked black and others were grey or red, but… I thought that was because of the heat messing with my sight.”

“What can we do, human?” Keaty rounds on her. “Vella is the second strongest in the pack. What do you need. I’ll allow it! I  **refuse**  to lose her! Those ‘Shrine Maidens’? Fine, bring them, I don’t care!  **Save my sister!** ” Due to the sheer intensity of the situation, nobody paused at the fact that Keaty just referred to Vella as his sister.

“Mother could, but…” Hina shakes her head, “She’s the queen, she can’t just make a sudden trip. Uh, Sakura! I could bring our little sister, she’s…”

“Stop explaining and  **go do it!** ” Keaty shouts. “What do we do? Just subdue her?”

“Y-yeah.” She flinches under Keaty’s pure desperation. Hina whistles for her Pegasus and promptly leaves in under a minute.

“Sister…” Lupus whimpers.

“We’re staying here.” Keaty states. “Do  **not**  enter that cave. If she shows, we’ll knock her out… and if any of us get  **any**  open wounds from her, then… we’ll also have to knock that one out, too… even me.” He turns to Dadaan. “Understand? If I’m struck and you aren’t… you’ll be in charge during that time. If we’re both stuck. Lupus is in charge, after that? Hunting leader.”

“Understood.” Dadaan quickly replies.

“Lupus?”

“G-g-got it.” She slowly nods, her eyes never leaving the darkness of the cave. “S-s-s-sister…”

“Focus. I need you aware.” Keaty says. “We aren’t moving until she is unconscious.” With that, he taps into his Beaststone. “Can’t afford to take the time to shift, either.” A short pause, “But, also can’t hold it forever… we’ll take turns. One of us will be shifted… wait for a few hours, then unshift and let the next take over. That way, at least one of us can hold her off to let the rest shift.”

Lupus remains silent, only nodding in response. Dadaan doesn’t even do that much, instead just keeping his focus.

Oh sister…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh... yeah. I hope you all never had seen it first hand, but yes... I’m referencing that disease. Rabies. But, don’t lose hope yet. While it would probably be too late for the real world, since Vella has to wait at least two days before Hina gets back, the real world doesn’t have magic. So, maybe Saku can whip something up with a combination of magic and herbs. But for now? Vella is very much a high-risk threat.
> 
> As for Camilla’s mount. Well, Malig Knights are supposed to have risen Wyverns, but it’s really just a cosmetic appearance in-game. Wouldn’t having an undead creature pose more of a threat? I mean, they could be carrying so many diseases, but now the creature is without a proper immune system. Though as a safety precaution, I’d think the Malig Knights would have a magical barrier that covers most of the mount’s body. On the note on risen Wyverns…
> 
> I could have sworn that there is a different name for them! A risen/undead wyvern or dragon, but I can’t remember it! Ugh, it’s so bloody irritating! I can see the word, but it’s all blurred out because I can’t remember what it actually is. I know there is some word for it, and I…
> 
> Pardon the rant there.
> 
> Nope, that’s all. I’m dun. D-U-N, dun. See ya next chapter.


	28. Fiery Determination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The pack goes from a new den, to being almost slaughtered or burned by the Nohrians, to being saved and healed by a couple of humans, but they aren't in the clear. In addition to the Wolfskin awaiting Superman's return with what herbs and tonics he can bring to cure the Beast Killer struck Wolfskin, now Vella needs Hina to be swift so something terrible doesn't end up happening to her.
> 
> Also, this chapter is split between Hina and Lupus. Otherwise, this probably wouldn't have been nearly as long, and it would have been mostly Lupus sharing the 'primary' watch between Keaty and Dadaan… unless I added something, and I have a feeling that if I did, it would have been an unnecessary change, maybe even unrealistic.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

The wind whips by Hinoka as she guides her Pegasus across the skies, from the Wolfskin's den to Castle Shirasagi. Her wound from Vella's sudden attack burns as the air practically slams into it. This is the first time, and hopefully last, she'll fly without anything protecting her front… but, she simply had nothing to use to cover her chest right now. Vella literally tore through her armor…

In her 'human' form.

She shivers as she recalls the snarling Corrin's Wolfskin 'sister' directed at her… the pure intent to kill. Had Hinoka not been as trained as she is, she would have lost her heart from that attack. Hinoka is also torn between wanting to go back and staying her course. Corrin is out there, with that enraged bea…

Hinoka blinks her eyes. No, she isn't just 'a beast'. Gods, if she actually said that in front of Corrin…

'You humans'. That phrase hurt her like nothing else. It was somehow worse than any string of profane words or insult that any human could use on her. 'You humans'. It was probably because Corrin didn't think herself as a human when she said that. Or maybe it was because that meant she didn't see the rest as family. 'You humans'. Maybe it was because it showed just how far the detachment is between Wolfskin and humans. How bad the relationship still is, despite Corrin having a direct connection to both sides.

Can they even mend this gap in one lifetime?

Hinoka's Pegasus whinnied… tired. "I'm sorry, girl." She pets the majestic mount. "I've been pushing you too much… How about I let you rest in the stables when we get there? I… I can use a different one for the next trip." Of course, just saying that hurts, too. "Trust me, I don't want to… but I think it would hurt more for you to get injured." She can 'sense' the sorrow from her Pegasus… but also the understanding. "I'll make it up to you, I promise. How about a whole day of relaxing, hm? Brushing your feathers, a bucket of carrots, a deep clean…" In response the Pegasus lets out an approving neigh, slightly bucking up, but not so much that it even phases Hinoka. "Heh, alright. Consider it done… but first! We need to get back to the Castle."

Hinoka can only hope they'll be fast enough for Vella.

* * *

Hinoka touched down right outside the stables, as close as she could get. Temporarily forgetting about her lack of decency in favor of getting her task done, she lets a slightly stunned stable handler guide her Pegasus to a stall as she practically sprints into the castle, her incredibly built legs carrying her with an ease that probably only a Swordmaster like her elder brother could match.

She can hear gasps and some words, but it's not like HInoka is really listening… well that, and she's focused enough on her task that she doesn't even know why.

She might have forgotten the fact that her breasts are showing.

Actually to be more accurate, she did forget that her chest is on full display.

She twisted and weaved through the hallways, firstly assuming that her little sister would be in the infirmary, healing as usual. Mainly, due to the peacetime, she's healing scrapes and light cuts from accidental strong strikes from training sessions, but occasionally a group comes in after fending off a wave of Faceless from a village.

She's worried that the number of injured are going to go up, with the Nohrians assaulting the conduits.

"Little sister?" She hears Ryoma call her out, "What's the… gods!" She sees him look away, for whatever reason.

"Where's Sakura? I need her to come with me and…"

"I understand you aren't much for Princess duties… but could you please cover your chest?"

"...huh?" She looks down and, "Oh." A second passes and her face starts burning, " **Oh**!" Now suddenly conscious of her partial nudity, she quickly uses her arms to cover herself. "Sorry, it's just that Vella has an infection and I need to get Sakura and some herbs to cure her."

"Lady Hinoka…" A servant, a Maid, approaches with a small towel and hands it to her.

"Oh, thanks…" Now with proper coverage, she wraps the towel around her chest and the remaining bits of her armor.

"And… why is your armor torn?" Ryoma now asks, no longer having to avert his eyes.

"Vella." She simply states.

"I'm sorry,  **who**  is Vella?"

"Corrin's Wolfskin sister." She supplies… "Wait, Corrin didn't tell you the names?"

"Little sister, you know she kept information about 'the pack' to a minimum." He flatly says. "But… what do you mean she torn your armor?"

Now see, if Keaty, Dadaan, Lupus, or any other of the Wolfskin, maybe even Seta, were the ones doing this task, then this conversation wouldn't have extended much past Ryoma asking what was going on… but Hinoka isn't like them, she's a human. Despite the severity of the situation, ettique plays a large role in her life.

"I was helping heal the pack after saving them from a forest fire made by the Nohrians, and when they got to…"

"A forest fire?! They burned their own forests, too!?"

"No… ours."

"How?! Mother's barrier would prevent any Nohrian aggression on our soil!" He nearly shouted.

"Princess Camilla said something about…"

"She was there!?"

"Yeah. She said something about the barrier not staying weakened enough in the area, so they ended up leaving." A pause, "Wait, wait! Where's Sakura!? I need to get to her!"

"She's in the training grounds, with Takumi. She won't say why, but she's suddenly picked up an interest in bows." He supplies.

"Thanks! I'll tell you the rest another time!" At last, she finally dashes off, but...

Why is her little sister interested in weapons? Hinoka can scarcely imagine Sakura  **wanting**  to learn how to fight. That just doesn't seem like something she would do...

* * *

Lupus has a dead-eye look as she keeps watch on the den Vella is in… infected, dangerous. Keaty, Dadaan, and her have been switching primary guard for, what… one day? Two? She wouldn't know, because all of her focus is literally on the cave, even the sun's position has no effect on her. All that matters is making sure Vella doesn't get out. That she doesn't infect others, that the pack is safe.

She fears what will happen if Saku can't… if she can't…

Lupus suddenly felt the urge to vomit. What does Vella even look like right now? What all does this disease do? She has a morbid curiosity, but it's something she resists. Walking into that den would probably just result in her dying to Vella's infected claws. She doesn't know what's worse, dying to Vella's claws or Camilla's axe. A diseased sister or having her body used as decorations.

She then turned away as she does end up vomiting. "Lupus?" Dadaan asks, in his human form as Keaty is the one shifted right now. "Are you well? Not sick?" Is the first thing he assumes.

"I don't think I was struck by that dead wyvern." A short pause, "Look me over, please." Paranoid, she quickly undresses.

"Lupus, if you were struck, you would had to be experiencing something by now." Keaty states.

"Look me over." She repeats stubbornly. Shrugging, Dadaan inspects each section of her body.

"Burns, some cuts… but they smell like her axe." He sniffs. "I don't smell whatever is coming out of Vella's den." He concludes… if with a slightly husky voice.

"You sure? That was really quick." She narrows her eyes. "Nothing? Dadaan, please…"

"Lupus, clothes. Now." Keaty orders.

"I'm just making sure…"

" **Now**."

Lupus huffs, but complies. "Of course." She looks at Dadaan, who is shifting around, "What?"

"You don't recognize?" He asks.

"...huh?"

"Lupus. You're in heat." Keaty flatly states. "Switch out, your scent is distracting us."

"But…"

" **Now**." He growls.

Another huff, but again, she obeys. "Fine." She walks off, "I'm in heat… huh?" She lowers her head and sniffs, "I don't notice a difference." She's smelled it before, it's strong enough to 'leak' out of a den. She doesn't smell any different than before. Or maybe… the one in heat can't smell it?

If that's so, then it's stupid.

Why would she be unable to know when she's in heat? "Ah, Lady Corrin!" Superman greets her. "The remaining Wolfskin have been properly healed and all Beast Killer toxins have been purged from…"

"Pu...rged?" She echoes.

He briefly frowns, "Removed. My apologies. The remaining toxins have been removed from their blood. They will all make a full recovery." He offers a smile.

She only returns it halfway. "Thank you, Superman."

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Vella… she's infected with something serious. It made her really violent. She tried to kill Hina. She's like… drooling a lot and she…"

"Rabies." He cuts her off. "It's a highly cont… erm, it's a disease that very easily spreads, mostly among…" He pauses, "I mean no offense, of course, but… beasts. Common signs are heightened aggression and too much drooling or foamy mouths. It's… difficult to cure. Of course, I can't speak for Wolfskin, but house pets have an average of three days before it becomes untreatable."

"...Hina's been gone for a day or two." Lupus frowns. "Superman, I… I can't lose her.  **We**  can't lose her!"

"She'll return in time, Lady Corrin." He assures her. "There's no way Lady Hinoka would disappoint you. Trust me, she will  **not**  fail you."

A pause, "I'm glad you think so. It makes me feel better."

Yet, he gives her a critical look, as if he doesn't believe her. "Lady Corrin? Would you mind if I shared a few things with you?"

Lupus tilts her head, interested, "Sure."

He takes a deep breath, like he is preparing to unleash a groundbreaking… "I'm not perfect."

She blinks her eyes a few times. "But, you do things so well so quickly."

"Would you believe that there was a time that I stumbled around while learning how to use a naginata? That I sometimes burned my food while cooking?"

She lets the image roll in her head, then shakes, "No, but… why are you telling me this?"

"I want to get across to you how much can be done with determination." He sits down, one leg against him and the second stretched out. "I used to have so much trouble getting things done. But… one day, I came to a realization."

"Alright…?" She trails off, still unsure.

"I looked up to the sky, towards Castle Shirasagi, and I saw them. The elite Sky Knight squad. The best of the best. I don't know what came over me then, but what I do know is that I figured out what I wanted to do with my life… become a royal guard. I would join the ranks of the elite. But, for that to happen, I had to change. And that's what I did. Lady Corrin, I only seem perfect, because you don't see the hours and days I put into practice before I actually travel out into the public and do those things."

"Is this supposed to help me?"

He smiles, "I'm getting to the part that will. I distinctly remember a certain day while training. We had a new person join us… which isn't unusual, mind you, but what caught my eye was her appearance." He places a hand over his face, fingers tracing a trail under his eyes, "Her eyes were red and puffy, there were tear trails down her face so deep, it seemed like someone just drew on her face with paint. She looked ragg… er, weakened."

"So… someone who didn't belong there?"

He chuckles, "Oh, and that's what the other recruits said. However, I noticed something that the others missed. If you looked past her tears, her relative lack of muscle… and instead looked right into her eyes, you would have seen the single most driven person possible. I figured out that she recently suffered a major loss, and that she was guiding that pain into training." He pauses, "Of course, what also stopped recruits from bad-mouthing her is when she introduced herself."

"Who is she?" Lupus asks, completely interested.

He flashes a generous smile, "Your big sister. Princess Hinoka."

Hina? The quick to rile up, spicy-smelling, protective Hina? "No way. I don't believe that!"

"It's the truth, Lady Corrin." He laughs. "She was there because she lost you, as I learned later. She swore to herself that she would become the best Sky Knight ever… something she kept procl… erm, announcing to the rest. Honestly, at first? It seemed like she was only dreaming, that she wasn't fit to be a Sky Knight… especially when her Pegasus kept throwing her off."

"Really?"

He nods, "But, it seemed like we all turned our attention away from her for a few days, and do you know what happened?" Lupus shakes her head, "She was suddenly near the top. Princess Hinoka committed herself to being the best, and when she was given the opportunity, she  **did**. She surp… erm, quickly became better than every single recruit and even some of the veterans."

"Well… thank you for sharing this, but I still don't understand why."

Yet another chuckle, "Lady Corrin… she did all of that  **for you**. She pushed herself  **for you**. She refused to lose anyone else again, because  **of you**. That is why I know she will  **not**  let Vella fall too far. I know she  **will**  return in time. She refuses to lose again, it doesn't matter who the person is. If she said she will save Vella, then she  **will**  save Vella."

A pause, before Lupus smiles, "Thank you, Superman. I really needed that."

"Anytime." His smile returns, "Now, would you care for a meal while you wait? I can go harvest some fruits, maybe catch some game?"

"Do peaches grow here?"

"I'm afraid not, Lady Corrin. Mountains don't provide a good grounds for them to grow. But, if you're craving a sweet fruit, might I recommend an apple? It won't be  **as**  sweet, however."

"Sure, some apples, then." She nods, "Deer, too?  **Oh**!" She suddenly exclaims, then lowers her voice, "If it isn't too much, could you get a bear? Not for me, but for the pack? Especially the ones that are still recovering?"

"Consider it done, Lady Corrin." He smiles. "A batch of apples, one deer, and one bear." He turns and whistles for his Pegasus. "I shall return shortly."

Lupus smiles… but then frowns, "Please hurry, Hina…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The time is ticking away. Hopefully Hina and Saku can get back in time.
> 
> On the topic of rabies, I decided that due to magic, there is a greater duration before rabies becomes untreatable, and that Wolfskin would have slightly longer due to their humanoid traits.
> 
> Still, that doesn't mean Hina can afford anymore of those lengthy conversations. Speaking of lengthy conversations…
> 
> I suppose Superman just achieves his 'A' support with Lupus out of literally nowhere, since he canonically doesn't admit he isn't perfect until his 'A' supports. I'll admit, it was also kinda fun to have him tell Lupus some of Hina's blunders when she was younger. That, and it also makes it clear Hina took up Sky Knight training quickly, not even bothered that she might look like a wreck.
> 
> I'm also trying to imagine the other recruit's faces when they find out that the 'new girl that probably doesn't belong here' is actually the eldest Princess of Hoshido.
> 
> Speaking of 'probably not belonging here', how about Saku taking bow lessons from Tako? I wonder what pushed her to go through the Priestess class training?
> 
> Lastly, let's not forget that the pack can't linger in their new den for long. Especially considering how quickly that second conduit fell, and how shortly after the pack was attacked. However, that does bring up one more point. Well, you know how many trips Hina and Superman have made by now? And how both the previous alpha and Keaty would ultimately forbid Lupus from just making random trips to see her family?
> 
> I'll just leave it at that. *hint hint*


	29. Never Safe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hate to say this everyone, but things are not going to start getting easier yet. I also gotta say I know I’m not taking this too far. Keep in mind for the pack, as Keaty stated, they are never safe. Being attacked is normal for them…
> 
> Being attacked by a coordinated army isn’t.
> 
> Oh and… I might have developed a new-found soft spot for the Queen of the Thighs… er, Skies. Princess Hinoka. Once more, her viewpoint is in this chapter.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

 

 

Lupus doesn’t know how she missed it… a day after Keaty had her switch out positions, she  **felt** it. A burning in her core, an urge that is both unknown and known. Not to mention the scent. She knew, without doubt, that yes, she’s in heat.

Why now?

She can see  **it** in the look of the other males’ eyes, that glint. However, due to her own strength, none have yet to dare approach her. Besides, Keaty is the alpha, he has claim by default. She suddenly shivers. Keaty has every right to  **claim** her. The very thought sends her body temperature shooting up.

It’s no wonder Keaty sent her off. She would undoubtedly cause Keaty to lose himself. Still, she can’t deny the allure it holds. Shifting her prone form, she instead thinks about Hina. Ever since Superman shared that story of him and Hina, she’s gotten much more calm... but, Keaty sent her off a day ago. That day was yesterday… so Hina’s been gone for three.

She trusts that Saku’s magic and a bundle of herbs is enough. She then looks over to Vella’s den, the hunting party leader is currently shifted, while Keaty and Dadaan are on standby. “Vella…” She whimpers. “Please hurry, Hina…” Back down her head goes, followed by a deep breath. “Hm?” Her ears perk up… another disturbance? Why now? It isn’t the gentle flapping she considers a Pegasus. No familiar scents… not heavy beating of wings like a wyvern.

…

In fact, she can’t smell anything from the direction of the sounds. Absolutely nothing. She rises, and shakes the extra dirt off of her. She focuses her eyes towards the scentless sound. Somehow blocking scent only makes it more suspicious… just like a completely silent forest. Has to be humans. She takes a breath and lets out a howl.

Thankfully, the Wolfskin that have been injured against the fight with Camilla, Selena, and Beruka have recovered, but…

Vella still needs to be watched.

Lupus taps into her Dragonstone and shifts, further enhancing her senses. Two… three? No, four. No again. Three humans, one beast… four legs, horse? She can pick up Keaty’s frustration at this… he can hear them too, obviously. Of course they would come in at the worst time.

A single man, riding atop a single horse strides in, as if he owns the place. He looks… bored? “Hm, so this is the Wolfskin… ah, there she is.” His horse neighs as he directs his gaze onto Lupus. “Hmph.” Blonde hair, though he has well-crafted armor… as does his horse. A sword rests on his side, though he has a tome in hand. “I’m not sure what surprises me more, the fact that you beasts allowed humans to heal you, or the fact that more of you aren’t dead.” He scoffs, “Well, at least it seems your best are occupied, aren’t they?” He smirks. “And all that took was a few infected strikes from my sister’s wyvern.”

Another ‘noble’, then. “Lady Corrin!” Superman comes atop his Pegasus… before an arrow soars through the air, to which he quickly grounds himself.

“Ah yes… Subaki, correct? Hoshido’s best Sky Knight.” The man calmly states. “Yes, I suggest you stay on the ground… I understand that falling to your death is… painful.”

“What’s your name?” Superman asks… but, why does that matter?

“I am Prince Leo.” He announces, before returning his gaze towards Lupus once more. “Tell me, had it occurred to you that killing your precious pack was  **not** the intention of Princess Camilla?”

“She said…!” Lupus quickly bites back.

“What she says and what she was ordered to do are two separate things. No, she was to weaken your best. And that is what she did. Tell me, what shall you do when I order the attack? Will your ‘alpha’ turn his back on the most dangerous?”

“Lady Corrin…” Superman trails off.

Lupus shares a look with Keaty. “...I’ll guard the den, alone.” The hunting party leader states. “The pack can’t afford to not have either of you in the fight.”

“And you won’t last against Velouria!” Keaty snaps back… he’s under pressure. There is no real ‘right’ choice here. Without Keaty, Dadaan, and a cured Vella, the pack’s chance of fighting off Leo has dropped… if Camilla and her retainers are anything to go by. But, leaving only one Wolfskin guarding the den might as well result in not guarding it at all. Vella would slaughter him, which would leave the pack vulnerable to an enraged Vella.

This situation seems even worse than a burning forest.

“Niles! Odin!” Leo calls out, prompting two more men to show. One is familiar… that white hair man with an eyepatch, who uses a bow. The second is new, sorta dark-blonde hair, he is wielding a tome like Leo.

“Executing the weak? How delightful…” The archer  **purrs** .

“You dare wish harm upon our liege?! I, Odin Dark, will summon the darkest of darkness to crush thee into oblivion!” Oh, so he’s Odin… the other is Niles.

Keaty growls, but isn’t able to do much more… not while guarding Vella. By now, the other Wolfskin have shifted.

Leo sighs, “What a nuisance. Niles, take care of that winged pony. Odin, keep those wolves away with some simple fire.”

“Of course, Lord Leo…” Niles takes aim.

“With the fires of wrath, I won’t let a single Wolfskin be even within a lance’s reach!” Odin pulls out a fire tome.

...But, Leo’s tome isn’t red like Odin’s or Camilla’s. “Let’s make this quick, shall we?” he then adds under his breath, “Remember, barrier’s weakened for twenty minutes. We must leave in fifteen.” Leo must have underestimated a Wolfskin’s and Lupus’s hearing.

“Superman, we just need to hold them off for fifteen minutes.” She quickly whispers. “We need to kill Niles so you can get into the air… and Odin so there’s no fire spells to be worried about, Leo’s last…” She blinks her eyes.

Where did  **that** come from?

“Lupus?” Superman asks, “I understand you aren’t familiar with human weapons, but… do you remember Lord Takumi’s bow? The one with the glowing string?” Lupus tilts her head, but nods, “That is one of the four Divine Weapons, the Fujin Yumi. Your big brother has one, too, the Raijinto… That tome Prince Leo has? That is called the Brynhildr, and it would be a terrible idea to disregard it, simply because it isn’t a fire tome. The fourth is Siegfried, in possession of Nohr’s Crown Prince Xander.”

Of course… of course there would be a magic spell that is as dangerous as fire. “We’ll just have to stay on guard for Leo’s spells while we kill Niles and Odin, then.” Still that strange… feeling is in Lupus. She can’t figure out how that order came out so easily. “Ready?”

He simply nods in responds, whilst standing in front of his Pegasus. All it’ll take is one arrow and Pegasus can be crippled for life. So, Superman can’t fight at his best, Keaty, Dadaan, and the hunting party leader are making sure Vella doesn’t attack everyone. Hina is still out…

Lupus stamps the ground. And running sure isn’t… Running. It clicks. Not right now… well, hopefully not at all, but if there’s an opportunity, it should be taken. “Keaty!” She calls out, to which the two share a gaze. No words are needed. Keaty nods in confirmation. “Alright.” Lupus nods, but this time it’s to Superman. “I’m ready.” She takes a breath and lets out her own roar...

* * *

Hinoka has a new set of armor on, riding a different Pegasus, while her little sister is holding on for dear life as they soar through the sky. True to big brother’s word, Hinoka found Sakura in the training yard with Takumi… a practice bow in hand. And now? She has a basic iron yumi strapped to her back, alongside a Wane Festal and a small bag of highly specialized and expensive herbs. The healing equipment Sakura has on her alone right now is worth a small fortune.

Hinoka isn’t taking any risks, she said to get ‘nothing but the best’, and that’s what happened.

She still feels bad, though. Hana didn’t take it well when she found out that her liege is flying the length of Hoshido near the border of Nohr. Even having Subaki and Hinoka there wasn’t enough to calm her nerves…

Hinoka just hopes Hana doesn’t end up following. She already warned the Samurai the dangers of ‘just arriving’. Keaty ordered  **her** to  **only** bring Sakura, if she ends up arriving with more… gods. She recalls  what her little sister said, who was raised by Wolfskin.  _ “As long as you’re here, you gotta live by Wolfskin tradition. If the alpha wants something done, it gets done. If he tells you to stop, you stop.” _ Hinoka shakes her head.

“B-Big sister?” Sakura asks. “Are we almost there? I’m… feeling kind of air-sick.”

The Sky Knight mentally scolds herself, of course Sakura wouldn’t be able to handle an intense flight… it’s her first time! Yet, then she sees the forest, “Can you hold it in for about another minute?”

“Mhm.” She replies with her mouth closed.

“...I’m sorry, but…” Hinoka takes a breath, “Keaty’s right. They won’t  **ever** be safe out there. I’m worried. How much longer until the Nohrians…” The Pegasus whinies, while he isn’t as hardened as Hinoka’s personal Pegasus, there are some things that can’t be erased as fear… And considering that there are no forest fires, that means only one other thing. “Archers…” Hinoka harshly whispers. “Sister, hold on. I’m going to have to land early.”

“Mmk…!” She squeaks through a muffled mouth as Hinoka all but dives down.

With a skill that probably only Subaki could match, Hinoka weaves the Pegasus around trees and branches, landing safely… if a bit ruffled, on the forest floor. She grabs her naginata, “Alright, Sakura… stay here. I know you’ve trained and…”

Instead of actually saying anything, Sakura hops off of the Pegasus and runs towards the nearest tree. A high-pitch retching noise soon follows. “G-g-go ahead…” She waves her off. Gods… Now feeling terrible for getting her sister air-sick, Hinoka dashes off towards the sound of fighting… again. It hasn’t even been three whole days! Yet, sure enough, when she crosses into the den, she sees the entire pack is shifted, including Corrin. Instead of Princess Camilla and her retainers, now there stands, undoubtedly, another Nohrian Royal and his retainers.

“Brynhildr!” A tree magically sprouts from the ground, ripping and tearing into one of the Wolfskin. Dead? No, not now. But, unless he gets direct healing, he’ll die from bleeding out before anything else. The only good thing… well as ‘good’ as it can get, is that the battle seems like it just started. Hinoka takes a breath as she joins. She sees that Subaki, too, is grounded. She then spots the bane of Pegasi… an archer. Raising her Guard Naginata, she makes a flanking charge.

“Oh, well hello, there…” The archer spots her. “Permission to  **ravage** , milord?” Oh, his voice sounds anything but pleasant.

“Don’t mess around, Niles.”

“Oh-ho, as you wish…” Niles fires an arrow and has a second one knocked before the first is even blocked. A second, a third arrow follows. “No no no, stay down there…” With an incredible speed, he redirects his attention to Subaki, firing off an arrow that spooks his Pegasus, before firing yet another arrow at Hinoka. It’s… not her best idea by far, but she has this… sense. This, feeling that… Niles gasps and his grip on his bow falters. The archer begins choking, before stumbling forward, frantically reaching to his waist, no doubt for healing tonic.

“Niles! Who…?” Prince Leo shouts while turning, as did Hinoka. It obviously couldn’t have been anyone near them.

Hinoka’s eyes scanned the area. Her curiosity on how Niles just started choking and dying caught everyone… or at least, all of the human’s interests. That’s when she saw them, by Vella’s guarded den. The infected Wolfskin lies unconscious at the front, which means she attempted to escape… the sounds of battle probably spurred her. The third Wolfskin guard, who Hinoka doesn’t know the name to, is also unconscious, but… blood pours from a number of spots. Keaty and Dadaan are both panting, but they seem unharmed… hopefully.

Hinoka doubts, that even with all the skill Sakura has, she can’t cure more than one or two with the amount of herbs at hand.

Still, that doesn’t answer  **why** Niles keeled over.

“My liege!” Odin erects a magical barrier as some sort of magical beam shoots out, failing to ram through Prince Leo due to Odin’s interference.

Corrin.

Prince Leo scowls, “It seems you need some playthings,  **beast** .” An aura of Dark Magic seeps from him. “Odin, support Niles, we need to leave.” The Nohrian Prince raises his arm as that magic goes from him… to where, actually? The trees?. “Hmph.” He rears his horse and flees. Hinoka can see Niles’s fingers twitching, as well as some wasted tonic on his clothes.

“Left flank!” Subaki calls out, “En guarde!”

…

A howl follows, but it… sounds off? Following Subaki’s warning, she looks and... up those three deceased Wolfskin rise, dead but not dead. Hinoka’s stomach turned at the sight… she’s never seen such a spell first-hand, and she wishes still hasn’t.

Keaty howls out some sort of command, now that Vella has been visibly subdued. “Hina! Infected?” Keaty asks.

“I… I guess?! They’ve been out there for days!” She slightly stammers. “Why didn’t you move their bodies?” He lets out a low growl… uh oh, Wolfskin tradition, then. “Nevermind that, then. Treat them like Camilla’s wyvern. Don’t get hit.” Easier said then done, of course.

Which is why the pack is more on the defensive right now. “Lady Hinoka, if we could have just one more frontline fighter that isn’t Wolfskin, we can distract them for the rest!” Subaki advises.

“Corrin?” She quickly asks.

“I’m worried her dragon blood may leave her vulnerable to the same diseases Wolfskin are.” He admits. The half-dragon in question is stepping back, trying her best to get a hit in, but she clearly still isn’t completely used to her form yet with how uncertain she is about her fighting.

Yet another arrow soars through the air, skillfully landing and hitting one of the risen Wolfskin… the source of the arrow then squealed as the undead beast turned its attention to her. “Sakura?” Hinoka asks, seeing her little sister now trembling with her bow… whatever bravado she had while firing that shot has went away. “Oh no, you aren’t gonna lay a finger on her!” Hinoka splits off, intercepting the shifted risen Wolfskin. One of the pack lands a hit on him, then moves out of the way as the undead turns and swipes, however Hinoka couldn’t even get an attempt in before he attempted yet another strike on her.

Is he faster, too? She can’t help but think this one is faster. A arrow flies by, but it comes rather close to Hinoka herself. “Sister! Breathe! Focus!” She warns the now Priestess. “Don’t fire another if you’re going to keep shaking!” She then feels the sting of slam as the Wolfskin lands his first hit on her. Enough to knock the wind out of her.

Then the Wolfskin falls once more, this time to Corrin. “Two more.” She states, nearly breathless, “Hina…” Wounds, bloody. “Can’t.” She collapses.

“ **Big sister** !” Sakura screams as Corrin shifts back, exhausted. Those magic streams must have taken a heavy toll on her, then. A howl follows as Corrin falls, and… gods.

Keaty  **hefts** up one of the risen Wolfskin on his own, before slamming into the ground, headfirst. “ **Heal her** !” The Wolfsegger snarls.

One left.

“C’mon, Sakura. I’ll protect you.” Hinoka beckons, to which she quickly shuffles over, Festal in hand.

“Big sister, big sister…” Sakura mutters as healing energy flows over Corrin. “Just spent, not too injured.” She breathes a sigh of relief. “She… hm?” Sakura points at a set of lacerations on her other side as Corrin was gently rolled over, they’re still bleeding. “Those aren’t claw marks, sister.”

In fact, they are slightly glowing.

The sound of fighting soon died down, and Keaty was at their side first, “Is she healed? Is  **she** ?”

“I-I-I-I-I…” Sakura cowered under his aggression.

“She’s going to recover, right sister?” Hinoka places a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Who slowly nods, as magic is sent out one more time. “Just needs rest.” Those wounds close, but the glow remains. “I’m going to need more supplies… anti-magic. I think she’s been cursed.” Sakura rises.

“Cursed?” Keaty echoes. “She’ll live, right?”

“Weakened, but yes. Until I can figure out what exactly the curse does, I’d recommend absolutely nothing too demanding.” She takes a breath, “Can I see Vella now?” With her bag of herbs in hand, as well as the Wane Festal, Sakura rises and follows Keaty, who takes her to the still unconscious Vella.

“Gods, sister…” Hinoka chokes on a sob. “Some protector I am, huh? You’re critically injured and I…” She strokes the now sleeping Corrin’s face. “Vella will get better, I promise.” She whispers. “You will, too.” It dawns on her how serious the pack’s situation is. Sure, Keaty told her that the pack is never safe, but to have it this bad? No wait… this isn’t ‘normal’ for them, either. They never had to deal with… wait.

“Lady Hinoka? Is something wrong?” Subaki asks.

“Prince Leo wasn’t trying to kill them, neither was Princess Camilla.” She runs the injuries through her head. “Vella fell victim to a disease that would have had her killed if it weren’t for Sakura. Corrin has been struck with a curse. This… if King Garon really wanted them dead now, why send one Royal and two retainers at a time?!” Her voice slowly raises. “Why send just two, three? An entire platoon?!”

“...Then we need to figure out their intentions so we can counter them.” Subaki nods. “What  **are** the facts here?”

“King Garon  **knows** the Wolfskin aren’t stupid, he lost Corrin because of that, so there’s no way he wouldn’t let Princess Camilla or Prince Leo fight the pack without that kind of information. Princess Camilla infected more of the pack than she actually killed…”

“They routed the pack down a specific line, hm…” Subaki closes his eyes, before opening them and looking around. “This den is  **less** secure than the last. But… you believe that Prince Leo also wasn’t trying to kill the pack?”

Hinoka nods, “I’m sure he’s more than capable of using his tome faster than he was.” She thinks it over. “We’re missing something here.”

Corrin groans as she shifts around… before yelping as that glowing part of her wounds makes contact with the ground. She shoots up, then stumbles from the sudden movement, her breathing is rapid and her eyes are wide… fear. “V-Vella? Where’s Vella?!”

“Sakura is taking care of her, she’ll be fine.” Hinoka gently speaks.

“Saku? Saku’s here?” A deep breath, then a second. “Vella will be fine, she’ll be fine.” She turns and sees the mentioned little sister tending to her Wolfskin sister… Corrin nods again, “Vella will be fine.” She then looks herself over, “What’s…?” She sees the glowing spot. “H-H-Hina?”

“Sakura says you have been cursed, and that you shouldn’t do anything intense.”

Corrin  **glares** at her. Hinoka sees something that she hasn’t seen in a long time… all the way back when Corrin was reunited with Hinoka, that pure  **danger** in her eyes, the force that shouldn’t be let out, “And what if the pack needs me to fight? What am I going to do then?! Watch them die!” She then clamps a hand over her mouth. “I’m going to see Saku…” She says the second her hand drops. “Please, not me, too…” She whimpers.

“Gods…” Hinoka breathes. It was no less bone-chilling than last time, maybe…

Maybe Corrin is right. ‘You humans’ isn’t as far off as she thinks. No matter how close Corrin can get, no matter how loving she can be… there is still a part of her that is wild, an untameable spirit. She isn’t fully human, she’s a half-dragon. Hinoka frowns as she looks towards both of her little sisters. Sakura is gently tending to Vella, but then jumps in place a little when Corrin curls up around her feet and lies down. And... Dadaan moves next to Corrin? He is simply standing there, as if he doesn't know what to do. “Lady Hinoka?” Subaki reaches out.

The red-hair princess takes a breath, “We should see what Keaty wants us to do. We can’t leave just yet. I won’t stop until the pack can rest easy for weeks. Until they are no longer threatened by the Nohrians. I get that they won’t ever be safe, but the Nohrian army is  **not** something they should be dealing with alone!  **I won’t let them die!** ”

“...Then, you fight for the pack?” Hinoka startles as Keaty stands behind her… even in his human form, he seems like he towers over her. “You are fighting for more than just Lupus, aren’t you? You’re fighting for  **us** . A pack of Wolfskin.”

“That’s right.” Hinoka nods. “I’m not helping just because my little sister is a part of all of this. I’m not just helping because Nohr threatens to invade Hoshido. I’m helping because I want to, because it’s the right thing to do, because I refuse to let any of you die. I’ve already failed enough times, and by the gods,  **I won’t keep failing** !”

Keaty smirks and his tail starts wagging. “Lupus mentioned about how dedicated you are about us.” A short pause, “But I can smell it for myself now… honesty. A human…  **choosing** to fight for a pack of Wolfskin.” He takes a step closer to her and perhaps it was due to the raw power from him, but Hinoka found herself… unable to move away. “Tell me, how far are you willing to go? How closely will you follow Wolfskin law?”

“I…” Hinoka starts… she hasn’t thought about that. “I can’t answer that right now.”

Despite the fact that they are roughly the same height, Keaty seems taller right now, “Then figure it out.” Is that... disappointment? He states as he turns to Subaki. “Do you have more of those… uh, ‘Festals’ that you can use?”

He smiles, “I brought extras on my return trip from the fort. Who do you want me to heal?”

“Any of them. Lupus and Vella are safe, they’re the strongest ones. Whichever Wolfskin needs healing now.” He pauses, “And… I’m… going to…” He visibly flinches, “Make sure that… the dead can’t be… used against us… again.”

“Keaty?” Hinoka asks, “What are you planning to do?”

For a moment he looks like he isn’t going to answer, but… “Can’t fight without limbs…” Is all he says as he leaves.

Gods… “Well, I shall get to my task, now.” Subaki states, though his voice does sound pained… not that she blames him.

How much is it weighing on Keaty? To dismember the dead? “Hold on, let me help.” Hinoka chokes on some air. “I need something to do, too…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, I have several things to cover now. Where to start? I suppose at the start of the chapter.
> 
> So, Prince Leo and his retainers, Odin and Niles. Or more specifically, what Leo claimed: That Camilla was not meant to kill the pack, only weaken them. At least, those were her ‘orders’... maybe the forest fire was not part of it? What about Leo’s orders?
> 
> Now, allow me to present this: If King Garon truly has a rage saved for the pack for stealing Corrin away. If he really wanted them dead… then why only send one Royal and two retainers at a time? Maybe Hinoka is right, and that there is a bigger plan here.
> 
> In terms of location, remember that the original den, where the fic started, was located in Nohr, relatively close to the main road. By the time Lupus got back, the pack has been pushed into a den in Hoshido, where a weakened barrier protects them. Camilla and the mages that caused the fire routed them even further… into Hoshido. If Mikoto’s barrier was the problem, then why make a route deeper into Hoshido?
> 
> Unless… Unless Garon isn’t looking to kill the Wolfskin himself…
> 
> Now then! Lupus’s little, uh, burst of knowledge. Even without any proper training, she still has a sense of tactics on her. It just goes to show her natural talent for it… though it’s a shame it probably won’t ever be honed.
> 
> ...And on the topic of injuries. Vella is recovering, but now Lupus is suffering from a curse. What kind? Considering that Lupus quickly turned aggressive, is it a curse meant to simulate the effects of rabies? Ah, as for rabies, it seems Vella managed to strike the hunting party leader.
> 
> Oh! Sakura! Yes, while she does have training in bows… let’s not forget that this was also her first real fight. Whatever bravery she held from that first shot went away when she became the target. I think this is reasonable enough. I mean, how would you react if there was a beast thrice your size rushing towards you?
> 
> I’ll get the reason why the dead Wolfskin weren’t removed yet next chapter.
> 
> Oh Hina, oh Hina… You just keep climbing up with Keaty’s approval, don’t you? And how must it feel, Hina? To live knowing that any second now, a force of humans will come and attack? To know that there is no safety like there is in the castle?
> 
> And how about Keaty himself? It’s clear the stress of being specifically targeted by an army is getting to him. He keeps having to make decisions that stand against what a Wolfskin should be or do.


	30. Drip, Drops, Red Plops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whaaaat? Hinoka's perspective again?! I wonder why she's been getting more attention lately? Well, at least one thing can be sure. This route can't be 'Conquest' anymore, not with Keaty allowing three humans to be in the pack. 'Revelations' it is.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Princess Hinoka is by no means a slouch. Despite being royalty, she has also done quite a number of things on her own. She didn't get as strong as she is now by obtaining some… magical superfood, no. She  **worked**  herself to the bone, until she couldn't stand, healed up, and did it again. Again and again until she had to improve other aspects.

However, it took until living with the Wolfskin that she truly realized how many of the very small things she  **didn't**  do. There are no servants to wash and mend her clothes. If she wants her armor and weapon repaired, she's gotta do it herself… big surprise here though, she can't. Sure, she can  **sharpen**  her Naginata's bladed end, but that's really it. There's no forges, no anvils, nothing to let her reinforce or repair the holes and dents.

Oh, and food… she hadn't realized the variety her life provided her with until now. For meats? Game like deer. Fruits? Whatever grows near here. There are no imports and no spices. To her, the food is bland at best.

She can understand why Corrin was so averse to spices in Shirasagi now. Corrin, her little sister. Her  **cursed**  little sister. Sakura is having trouble figuring out how to counter-curse it. She says it must have been recently woven…

And Corrin was simply a 'test subject' for this new curse.

The fire in her eyes burns anew. So much so that she immediately stands up, she needs something else to do. She  **wants**  to spar, but Subaki is occupied. Sakura is tending to the remaining wounds from Prince Leo's attack. Her eyes scan the Wolfskin, acutely aware that there's no way she can normally spar with any of them. There aren't even any proper training weapons. She'd…

She would have to fight them as Corrin did. Weaponless.

Her feet unconsciously took her to Keaty's location. The alpha seems deep in thought. "Hey, Keaty." The Wolfsegger just briefly looks her way, before returning his gaze forwards. " **Hey**!"

He growls, but she isn't deterred. "What?"

"Subaki and Sakura are…"

"I know what they're doing. Get to the point." He smoothly cuts her off.

"Sparring partner." She quickly states. "I need a sparring partner."

"Spar...ring?" He echoes.

Oh, right… Corrin didn't use that word to describe it, what was… "Uh, 'rough and fast' playtime." Her face immediately flushes.

He tilts his head, probably wondering why she is flushing. "You won't live."

"Can you do it in your, uh, human form?"

"Wolfskin don't fight in their human form. It's no benefit."

"This is for  **me**." She quickly bites back, "I need to train, Keaty."

He smirks, "And if I say no?"

_"Whatever the alpha wants done, gets done. If he tells you to stop, you stop."_  Corrin's words echo through her head. "Then the pack will suffer for it, as I won't be as strong as I could be!"

The smirk fades, yet his tail is wagging… then he smiles and takes a step forward, with Hinoka standing tall, unwavering. He stops when he is face to face with her, yet she never flinches, never blinks. That fire never fades. "Turn around."

"...huh?" She blinks her eyes at the bizarre order.

"Turn around." After another second's hesitation, she does so… her earlier head-strong attitude gives to a strange sense of unease. "What do you see?"

This… doesn't sound like something Keaty would normally ask. Yet, she gazes around regardless, "The pack. So many that have been injured. I see my little sister that has been taken from my family so long ago, who has been raised by this pack. I see the Wolfskin she calls her sister." A pause as Hinoka takes a breath, just thinking of that day… the day that her mother looked so  **broken**.

_"It was a trap."_  Mother stated,  _"My love, your father… he's been assassinated, every Hoshidan guard died. Corrin… has been taken."_

"Is that…" Keaty starts.

"And," Hinoka cuts him off, "I also see… the pack of Wolfskin that has lived with my sister. I see the ones she grew up with, the ones that she loves."

"Why do you think Lupus fights?" He continues.

"For the pack, for…"

"Hmph."

"I wasn't  **finished**!" She snaps… again. "Look, she fights for who she loves, what more reason does she need?!"

"For survival." He states. "Yes, the pack is the top reason, but there's more than just the pack itself. It would be no good if she fought for the pack, but in the process, doesn't consider her own life."

She narrows her eyes, "That much can be assumed." A pause, "...which is why I dislike that part of the oath to retainers. I  **don't**  want others to lay down their lives for me." She slightly turns, "And…"

"Don't turn." Hinoka gasps, "Look forward." Why… no, she knows why. She looks ahead once more. "You're quick to listen, human." She can hear a… provocative tone in his voice.

She grits her teeth, "I understand that you're in charge, Keaty. I respect the command you have. I was once under someone else's lead, I know when to follow." A short pause, "But, that doesn't mean I'm going to keep following without question." For emphasis, she turns around, facing an agitated Keaty, "And what's with the questions, anyway? This doesn't sound like something you normally do!" He is smirking again, his tail is wagging, but… without an understanding like Setsuna when it comes to body language, Hinoka can't discern his real… Ears perked… what does that mean again? "You wanted me to react like that." It wasn't a question.

"And you learn quickly." He adds.

"Why? Why did you want to get a rise out of me? Ah, forget it! Look, can I get a sparring partner or not?!" Another short pause, "Y'know what? I'm just…  **Ah**!" Hinoka nearly screams as Keaty yanks her by the arm and threw her to the ground, "The hell's wrong with you?!"

"You wanted a sparring partner." He flatly states, his tail has stopped, but his ears remained perked and his body is quite… relaxed. "And I want to fight." Hinoka gets up, "I'll admit, I think this will be interesting, fighting without using my Beaststone."

"Could've given a…" She pauses, before something else from while ago 'clicks'. "No, I should've seen that coming. 'Always be prepared for a fight'... that's what Corrin told me. She slammed me into the ground while helping me with unarmed combat. I…" In the middle of her explanation, Keaty charged, "Nope, not this time." She sidestepped his claw swipe, and returned it with a punch, "What the…" While she expected him to not flinch, she hadn't expected to feel like his skin is… iron?

"No experience with a beast shifter?" He asks as he returns with a strike of his own, sending Hinoka skidding across the ground several feet. "Yea, I'm not shifted, but some of my strength from my beast form carries over to my unshifted form." Hinoka rises off the ground, suffering almost as much from his attack as the rocks and dirt that scraped against her skin. "I want to see that determination again.  **Fight me**!" He growls.

"Ngh…" She grunts, "Fine." She takes a step, then charges, weaving around one, then two punches, and landing one on his undoubtedly softer stomach… by all means, it feels more like reinforced leather than skin. "G-Go…" She gasps as he effortlessly picks her up and tosses her to the side, like some sort of unwanted toy.

"Big sister!" She hears Sakura squeal. "St-stop!"

"No." Keaty commands. "She wanted to spar, so she's sparring. Stay by Lupus and Vella."

"You aren't supposed t-t-t-to spar s-s-so violently!" She cries out.

"I-I'll be fine, sis." Hinoka rises once more, blood pouring from various cuts and scrapes… just from her time sliding on the ground. "I've had plenty of cuts from training. Heh… can't forget the time I dislocated my shoulder and broke my arm from that one time my Pegasus bucked me off from high, remember?"

"...You were in the infirmary for weeks." Sakura softly says, her eyes downcast. "Mother forbade you from any Sky Knight training until your Pegasus accepted you."

Hinoka nods with a smile, despite how much pain that memory brings. "That's right." She readies herself again, "So, it's gonna take more than just a little training to keep me down! Come on, Keaty!" Keaty smirked as he charged once more, failing to land a strike, then a second, a third. "Thrust, side, downward, opening!" She sounds off for each strikes, before she socks him in the jaw. "Uppercut, right?" She nimbly dodges yet another one.

Keaty growls, clearly irritated by her mocking. "I'm…" Whatever Keaty was going to say was cut off as he finds himself with his back on the ground. Hinoka had simply tripped the alpha.

"That's something else I learned, y'know?" Her foot is on his chest, not that it mattered. His raw strength alone would probably be enough to snap every bone in her leg. "Keaty, you're strong. You're fast. I can see how you managed to get your Wolfsegger form, but…" She lifts her foot. "You're too easily angered. So,  **you**  tell  **me**. What do  **you**  feel when your opponent predicts your movements? When even your strength and speed fails?" Her glare is as intense as his growling. "I'm not afraid. I'm aware of how 'weak' a 'human' can be to a 'Wolfskin'. I know that if this was a real fight, and you were shifted, I would have been dead in seconds." She takes a breath, and Keaty stands once more, yet… he doesn't seem as tall as last time. "So yeah, I might not be able to  **punch**  trees down, or throw a bear across the field, but there are more things to strength than just physical prowess!"

Tick tock, the two stand there as Hinoka slowly defuses. "I… understand." He states. "Leave." His ears are up and his tail seems to be wagging faster than ever.

"Keaty…" Hinoka trails off, before stumbling forward, her adrenaline is wearing off. "...huh?"

"Rest." He catches her before she falls down. "Let Saku heal you." Hinoka looks up to Keaty, it seems… unreal how gentle he is right now, how…

"I know." She pulls back. "I need to be ready… you never know when the next attack is going to come, after all."

"...More to strength than just physical prowess?" Hinoka barely catches as she walks away. "Hmph, maybe so, Hina."

* * *

Lupus lazily looks around, feeling so drained from… doing nothing. Must be this 'curse'. Her side still aches… burns, even. She groans as she rolls over… then outright screams when her side come into contact with a pebble. A simple pebble. "Tch… ngh…" Lupus pushes herself up, then feels a warm liquid running down her side.

A simple pebble broke the thin of her skin.

She growls as she pushes herself up. "Human…" She breathes.

"Sister!" Vella harshly whispers, "Rest. Rest!" She stumbles towards her, not looking much better herself.

"I'm fine.  **You**  need more rest." Lupus waves her off.

"...sister?" Lupus takes a better look at Vella. She does seem calmer. "I'm… sorry. I…" She takes a breath, "I need to apologize to Hina. I…" She grits her teeth and clenches her fists, "I almost  **killed**  her."

"Yeah, you almost did, didn't you?" Hina stumbles in, Saku not far behind her.

"Hina?" Lupus hisses from her own pain as she takes in Hina's battered appearance, "You fought Keaty." His scent is all over her.

"Heh, I wanted a spar, and I… ouch." Hina grunts as she grips her side, bleeding.

"Spars aren't s-s-supposed to be th-this…" Saku starts.

"I know." Lupus nods, steps closer, and sniffs.

"Uh, sister?" Hina asks. Lupus looks up and tilts her head, "Is something wrong?" She then sits down on a rock as Saku starts tending to her wounds.

"Wolfskin don't 'spar', sister." Lupus points out.

"Well yeah. I kinda forgot, it's, uh… 'fast and rough' playtime, right?" She flushes. "So, I asked for that." Lupus blinks her eyes as she thinks it over. "What?"

Vella chuckles, "Oh, you've asked for something, alright."

"...huh?" Hina asks. "Corrin?"

"It wasn't her intention, Vella." Lupus states, leaving Hina even more confused.

"Alright, what am I missing here?!" Hina all but demands.

"I know, but she can't smell  **it**  like us. Still, I can't believe that Keaty would…" Vella continues.

" **What**  are you two talking about!?"

"It's also not my fault I got  **cursed**  while mine is happening. That doesn't mean he should…"

" **Corrin**!  **Vella**!" Hina shouts, startling Saku.

"Yes?" The two respond in unison.

"What are you two talking about?"

Vella and Lupus share a look. "Heat." Vella plainly states, as if that will explain everything.

"What does the temperature have to do with 'asking for something'?"

"Not 'hot heat', sister." Lupus says, "'In heat', the females… me." She looks down and away. "I'm… in heat, but… I'm also cursed right now, so it's for the best that none of the males mate with me until the curse is gone."

"Mate? Hold on, what does…"

"Sister, I can smell Keaty on you."

"I know, we sparred." Hina takes a breath. "You already stated that, I already said that."

"...sister, I can smell  **Keaty** 's scent on you."

"Corrin." Hina firmly states, "I don't get what you're telling me. Explain in… 'human' terms."

"He wasn't playfighting to 'spar' with you, he was testing you. The scent you have is far too strong to be training." Lupus explains.

"...Testing me? For what? To be in the pack?"

Vella groans, "Forget it, sister." She curtly says, "Let her find out on her own."

"She's gotta know." Lupus slowly replies.

"Heh, no she doesn't." Wolfskin and Half-dragon lock eyes, before Lupus nods.

"..." Lupus pauses. "He's interested in you, sister."

"Lupus!" Vella rounds on her, "She's…"

"I'm not leaving her clueless." The other narrows her eyes, the wound on her side begins to glow again. "She deserves to know. She hasn't been raised with us, it's only fair." Lupus turns back to Hina, "What did you talk to Keaty about? Besides the spar?"

"...Well, right at the end. It was about there's more to strength than…" Lupus sighs as Hina explains, and she stops, "What?"

"How a 'human'..." Vella starts.

"Vella. Cut it out." Lupus cuts her off, "Hina." She starts, "I…" A gasp and she falls forward.

"Sister!"

"Little sister!"

"Big sister!" Each of the women call out as Lupus's glowing wound starts pulsing. "I-I-It's Dark M-Magic, I…" Saku frantically starts magically examining the half-dragon's wound and… "!"

…

Drip, drip. That smell, it's in the air. Enticing to smell, but awful to taste.

Deep breathing, why is it all so warm, so hot? Lupus can 'feel' arms pulling away, but there's some other kind of 'tug' pushing her forward. It's like… another voice, no. It  **is**  another voice. Her thoughts never had an actual 'voice', this sounds… male.

_"Further! Deeper! Shred! Rip!"_  The 'man' orders… kinda like Keaty.  _"Threat to the pack! Kill her!"_  Kill who? But, if it means more of this warmth, this heat, this...

"Sister!" Lupus feels slickness as her arm? Is it her arm? Whatever it is, more warmth.

"Little sister!" She can hear them, but she can't hear them. Nothing is overpowering the hammering in her ears, the slickness on her arm, the heat in her body, the...

"What is…  **Lupus**!" A third, wait. Keaty? But, he…

_"_ ** _Kill her_** _!"_  Keaty yells as more of the fresh, warm liquid flows.

" **Stop**!" Keaty yells as she feels those 'arms' pull back.

_"_ ** _You will_** _…"_  First-Keaty doesn't sound like Keaty.

" **Listen!** " Second-Keaty has that 'feel', that… alphaness.

_"_ ** _To me!_** _"_  The two Keaty yell at once, but she can only really, truly hear the second-Keaty.

"..." Lupus heaves a breath, as she feels another wave of of that warm, thick liquid fall.

" **Lupus**!" The other Keaty fades as the world around Lupus returns. Why… what? Her arm is… that lance again? Red fruit juice? No, no, no… blood. Whose blood?

She coughs, blood soon follows. Did… she bleed on herself? No, there's too much. Then whose?

Drip drop, no that has to be her own blood, but if that's true, then how can her arm have blood from her own body if... "Lupus!" Keaty's claws, they're… but where?

"Sister!" Lupus blinks her eyes, burns, it burns! That glowing spot on the side… claw marks. Keaty?

"Little sister!" What happened? Hina looks angry, but worried. Vella is holding Lupus down, whispering words she just barely get by.

Wait. There's something wrong. One, two, three. One, two, three? One male, two females.

…

Keaty, Vella, Hina.

…

Why hasn't Saku called her out?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me at least start off with the good part, before we hit the intense thing. Let's do the thing with Hina bashing heads with Keaty… Yes, that's a 'good part', I guess? Hina is challenging Wolfskin tradition, but… let's just hope she doesn't push too far.
> 
> Now then, oh, oh… Oh dear. So… that curse Lupus has. Yeah. It seems like there's something magically implanted into her. Must be courtesy of Leo, since I did purposely didn't describe what exactly hit Lupus during the battle against Leo. Lacerations? Well, I hope you could guess that would be the Brynhildr's magical branches. The curse?
> 
> Well, let me just it like this, do you remember that thing Takumi went through? When he attacks Corrin's army in Birthright?
> 
> So, what now? Vella will take a day to recover. Hina has some cuts and bruises, but otherwise she's ready to fight. Lupus is obviously unable to control herself, and Saku's fate will be unknown until the next chapter. If Garon sent Xander and his retainers now, it'd be over, because you can be damn sure Peri would have a Beast Killer with her. And, of course, Xander would have Siegfried.


	31. Adaptation: Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Normal' A/N: I thought this was going to be a goofy outlook with Corrin doing silly things when faced with human customs… not be such a damn sucker-punch to the feels. Get your tissues, everyone! We ain't out of angst-ville yet.
> 
> Also, I suppose I should extend the PoV's some. So… prepare for some direct updates from Castle Shirasagi.
> 
> Lastly. I have yet another AU coming up. This one is a one-shot for Father's Day. If I happen to get another chapter of 'When a Kitsune and a Half-Dragon Mate with Each Other…', then I'll post a notice for the one-shot there, too. If you're wanting more of a return to the goofy atmosphere, then that one-shot is for you! Because it's going to be a while for Lupus to do things like swipe chickens off of tables.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

**Important** : I haven't done one of these types of 'warnings' in a while, and this is honestly... actually no, I should've seen this coming. Anyway, the chapter title for this, 'Trust', is applying to more than a theme in the chapter itself, it's also applying to the route I'm taking here. I'm pushing several characters here to their limits, stretching the boundary of how they would 'canonically' react in a crucial situation, taking into consideration the tweaks in behavior from things like Hinoka being a part of the pack and Wolfskin being more like an animal. I'm talking more than just, for example, Corrin being mind-controlled and stabbing Sakura.

So, I'm asking that you guys trust me through this, that I'm going to handle these situations correctly. I'm going to have my own reasoning at the end of this chapter, so a second request is that it is read before any 'in the moment' reviews/comments are made. It's also labeled with 'Important'.

As for the reason why both of these 'Important' are  **not** in the notes? Well... the second 'Important' caused the character limit to be exceeded, and I rather keep things consistent.

* * *

 

 Panic starts to take hold as it all seems to happen in slow motion, as Hinoka is only watching the events unfold, like she can't get herself to do anything. One moment, her little sister, Sakura, was pointing out that her other slightly older little sister's, Corrin, wound that she has gotten from Prince Leo is now pulsing. The next moment, Corrin's arm… changed. She's never seen her do that, was it something she kept secret? Either way, her arm changed into a lance and…

Panic is replaced with shock.

Sakura started coughing up blood as almost an entire lance-arm was pushed through her midsection.  **Corrin** 's lance-arm was thrusted through the youngest Hoshidan princess's midsection. She couldn't believe it,  **Corrin**  dealt a lethal blow to Sakura, but… she also saw it. The once vivid red in her eyes was… darkened. Purple, even, a tinge of purple. She somehow knew in that moment, that Corrin wasn't herself, that the Dark Magic that inflicted this curse upon her was some kind of… remote mind-take-over spell.

Shock turned into anger, anger that the Nohrians would stoop so low. That the Nohrians placed this curse on  **her family**!

Finally, anger became concern. Princess Hinoka can hate the Nohrians with all of her being later… right now, there were things needed to be done. " **Subaki!** " She outright screams, a higher pitch that her relatively rougher voice would allow. " **We need you and some Festals. Now!** "

She then turns her attention to Sakura, Corrin, and the lance-arm between them. Sakura is letting her tears flow as the lance-arm pushes even deeper. Corrin is growling. "S-sister…" Vella is trying to separate the two, but due to her recent recovery, is unable. "Help, please…" Hinoka quickly joins in… only to find that trying to move Corrin is like trying to move an entire portion of a brick wall. Hinoka knew that Corrin was strong, but…

Then again, Corrin always held back in their spars.

" **Move**!" Keaty doesn't wait as he pushes the two aside. " **Lupus**!" He growls in kind, receiving no affirmation that Corrin really heard him, so he pushes her in kind, only to find that she's still resisting. " **Stop**!" He yells again as his Beaststone glows, the ground under him giving in as he pushes with enough force to crack that brick wall. " **Listen! To me!** " At last, he shifts into his Wolfsegger form, granting him more than enough to shove Corrin to the ground. He then heaves a heavy breath as he shifts back. " **Lupus** …" He cries out as he lifts her so slightly, "Lupus."

"Sister!" Which was negated as Vella tackled her to the ground.

Corrin's lance-arm is drenched in blood by this point, Sakura has an entire hole through her midsection. "Little sister!" Hinoka catches Sakura before she falls.

"B-Big sss…" Sakura tries to reach up.

"Shh, don't waste energy like that. I'm here for you."

"Lady…" Hinoka hears Subaki start, before the only sounds are his feet and the clatter of Festals. One rests in his grip. Whatever he had to say died on his tongue as he only worked to heal her, though… due to his inexperience only closes off a portion of the hole. Hinoka joins in after Sakura is gently lied down.

Hinoka should have taken some Festal classes.

The two amateur healers, when healing together, slowly closes the gap in the Priestess's midsection. By now, however, Sakura had already fallen unconscious from blood loss. "S-Sister…" Hinoka chokes on air.

"Gods, I…" Subaki starts, "I  **should**  have been here." Instead he was helping the other Wolfskin, confident that, "Why did…?"

"It's that curse." Hinoka scowls as she pours more of her meager magic skills into the Festal. "Her eyes went from red to having a small amount of purple… she didn't mean to. I don't think she even realized what happened."

Subaki does the same, though honestly, his magic is just barely above Hinoka's. "I should have been here." He repeats, "I swore an oath, but I wasn't here." He looks directly at Sakura, "Gods, if… if you survive this, my liege… I will voluntarily remove myself from my oath to you. I… failed you."

"Quiet!" Hinoka spits out, "Stop beating yourself up and focus on healing!"

"Lady Hinoka, her wound is closed, using anymore of the Festal…"

" **I**   **don't care**!  **Heal her**!" Tears are trailing down Hinoka's face, reasoning giving way to emotions. Subaki briefly closes his eyes, before nodding. There's no way she'll listen right now, not with Sakura in such a critical condition. "Little sister, please. Keep fighting. I can't lose you, I refuse to lose anyone ever again."

"...ngh." Hinoka picks up a groan as Corrin shifts around. "Wh…" Corrin is now the one coughing up blood, as Hinoka sees that she's suffered a strike to her side. Claws. "V-Vella?" Her eyes racing from sister to sister, Hinoka takes her Festal and closes off the claw strikes. "Hina?" Corrin's lance-arm has yet to fade, while her normal arm reaches for Hinoka. "Keaty." She acknowledges his presence without actually looking at him. A short pause as she sniffs the air, "W-wait." Hinoka can see the panic rising in her. "One, two, three. One, two, three?" She keeps muttering, "Keaty, Vella, Hina. Keaty, Vella, Hina." Her eyes then snap open, revealing the normal vivid red again, no more purple tainting them. "Saku! Where…" She then hisses in pain as the wound undoubtedly acts up.

Hinoka looks directly at Corrin, and she to her. "Corrin." Hinoka carefully states.

"C-Corrin?" She repeats. "Oh, right. My Human name." A declaration that causes Hinoka's heart to slow down. "Lupus. I'm Lupus."

…

Without missing a beat, Hinoka walks back to Sakura. She's already damaged enough from the bloody scene, and now is the worst time for Corrin to start bringing in the 'human' topic. "Lady Sakura may not seem it, but she's breathing." Subaki assures her. Sakura's breathing is so weak, so shallow, that it seems like the air isn't moving her body at all. "I felt her pulse while keeping a hand near her mouth. Trust me, she's breathing. She's alive." Hinoka simply nods, too fractured from hearing  **that**.

My 'human' name.

Tears run anew. Hinoka hasn't felt this weak since Corrin was initially taken during that 'peace meeting'. All of the naginata skills in the world wouldn't make a difference in this moment. If… If Hinoka had been the one to get stabbed, then Sakura would have had her wound closed in seconds, and Hinoka wouldn't be in as a critical condition.

Hinoka would have rather had taken that lance for Sakura. Instead, Sakura is next to death's door. At this point… all it would take is a moderate push. It's going to be  **weeks**  before she'll make a decent amount of recovery.

…

"They're going to attack again." Hinoka announces, catching the attention of the rest. "The Nohrians  **will**  attack soon!" Subaki nods.

Keaty seems skeptical, "How do you know?"

"That curse, if I had to guess, it's a mind-control spell. Which means that Prince Leo was looking through Corrin's eyes. They're going to seize this moment, they  **will**  attack soon." Hinoka takes a deep breath, "We gotta leave. If we get caught like this…"

" **Where**!?" Keaty shoots back, clearly stressed.

"We can't move Lady Sakura in her current condition, Lady Hinoka." Subaki looks ready to scold himself again. "One wrong move and her body will give in." He's right, a simple tree branch hitting her in the wrong spot would kill her.

"..." Keaty looks beyond the entrance of the cave. "What will happen if those Nohrian humans…"

" **NO**!" Hinoka screams, " **I'm**   **not leaving her behind**!"

He growls, "Do you think I want to? No, of course not!" He takes a breath, steadying himself.

"Alpha?" Dadaan enters, alongside a few other Wolfskin remaining outside. "Orders?"

"There are more clearings, more dens." One of the Wolfskin hesitantly supplies, "We…"

" **Quiet**!" Keaty commands, bringing a blanket of silence. He is visibly pained. He is probably running every possible set of orders he can do at this point. Stay and fight? It would surely end in their deaths. Garon could probably just send a few mages with Fire tomes and it would be over. Run? The only way they could outmaneuver an army is at top speed… and that would mean leaving Sakura behind. Maybe even Vella and Corrin, depending on how much stamina they have.

Fight or flight. Each one sounds like a loss. It seems that no matter what Keaty will order, there  **will**  be major consequences. So, it would only be 'reasonable' to choose the one that results in the least.

"We're moving deeper into Hoshido." Keaty states, before leveling a look at Hinoka. "I'm not forcing either of you to go." He glances at Subaki. "You aren't of the pack. Saku is your sister and your… 'liege'. If…"

"Shut-up!" Hinoka bites back, far too overcome with emotions to think clearly.

"I'm not leaving her side." Subaki announces. "Even if it means my death… eternal torture. I'm not leaving her side. I swore I'd give my all for her." He then looks at Hinoka, regret written all over his face. "If I had to guess… the Nohrian Royals would execute me, but hold Lady Sakura for ransom." She wanted to scream that she doesn't want to hear it, that the world could just stay silent.

But, what good would that do? Subaki is right… again. The leverage of having Sakura captive would be huge. Mother would easily bend, maybe even break… the latter is especially true if anything happened to Corrin and/or Hinoka. They already lost Corrin once, but to lose her again? And Sakura? And Hinoka? Resolve would be shattered, morale would plummet. Even if mother gathered the entire military, she doubts the soldiers would be filled with any sort of optimism. Gods, Ryoma and Takumi would be in a worse condition.

_"If you wish to have your 'children' returned, then hand over Hoshido!"_  A phantom-image of Garon mocks.  _"Oh, but it's a shame your youngest will be sent in a bag! We couldn't save her… since_ ** _Corrin_**   ** _killed her_** _!"_  And without anyone to speak in Corrin's defense as a first-hand witness, such a rumor would be accepted… a Hoshidan Princess, 'wanting' to kill her little sister.

This had to have been the plan they had. It wasn't about killing the pack, it was using Corrin to lure more Hoshidan Royals out so far away from safety… and Hinoka blundered right into the trap. First, get Hinoka here by putting Corrin in peril. Then, bring up a situation that only a healer like Sakura could fix. And now? As much as it kills Hinoka to admit it… Keaty's right.

"We're leaving too, then." Hinoka resolves. "Believe me, the last thing I want to do is leave Sakura behind, but… Nohr isn't taking all of us." Her vision blurs, then she looks at Subaki, "And I'm  **not**  letting you die! As my status as a Hoshidan Princess, and my rank as  **your**  Sky Knight captain… I  **order**  you to come with us!"

"I…" Subaki starts.

"To decline is to be expelled from the Sky Knights and to be charged with High Treason." It is killing her to put her in this position. "Do you understand?"

"...On your orders." He gives in. "I know you're right. It would serve no benefit if I stayed. My death won't save Lady Sakura. My death won't keep her from being imprisoned. In the end, it would be for the best if I left."

The smallest of gasps can be heard, and as if the emotional tension wasn't thick enough, Sakura wakes up. Hinoka's heart is already dropping before she even… "B-big… s-sister?" Talks.

"Please, don't say anything. Just rest, alright?" Hinoka can't even look at her.

"I… trust. You." Hinoka spares a brief glance and… Sakura is smiling, so confident. "I… don't… bl-blame… you." She knows that wasn't directed at her, but rather Corrin.

Said sister remains silent.

Sakura takes a deep breath before resting her eyes again.

A howl soon follows. "We're leaving." Keaty states as he immediately walks, as does Vella, Corrin, Subaki, and Hinoka…

"I… love… you… a-a-all." Is the last thing Hinoka hears Sakura say as she walks out.

"...C'mon." She calls out her borrowed Pegasus, as Subaki calls upon his own. "We'll fly ahead and pinpoint another spot."

Keaty nods, "We'll sniff you both out when you land." Hinoka takes one last look at the cave Sakura is in, before shaking her head. No, if she keeps thinking about it, she'll just end up staying. Hinoka faces the hard fact. The Nohrians will capture Sakura. She will be held as a prisoner of war, she'll be used as a bargaining chip. Yet, the worst fact of it all is…

Hinoka failed. She is about to lose a family member.

* * *

Lupus remained deathly silent as she ran the forests with the pack. Her mouth might just be considered stitched together, clamped with some sort of magical spell. Magic, magic… why is she even still here? She's just a risk at this point. Who knows when the Dark Magic will just be used again. What will happen when it does? Is Hina going to be left in a critical state? Keaty? Vella?

Lupus trips over a root and slides against the ground. "Sister!" Vella stops and turns. "C'mon, get up! We…" Vella silences when Lupus has a 'dead' look in her eyes. Vivid red eye color dulls.

"I can't." Lupus states, "If… If I follow, then…" She gestures towards the wound. "They'll just control me again, and…"

"No!" Vella growls. "I'd rather pin you to the ground for the rest of time then let you go!" She tugs on her arm, "Now, let's go!" Lupus stubbornly remains still. So, being the obsessively attached and hard-headed sister she is, Vella shifts and carries Lupus over her shoulder. Even in her massive Wolfskin form, Vella somehow manages to  **not**  knock down every tree… only a few fall.

"She's not wrong, Velouria." Keaty comments.

" **No**! I'm not losing her to those damn humans again!" A short pause, "We can't afford to lose anymore, anyway! Without sister, we…"

"Just… be quiet." Keaty responds, sounding more empty by the second. As such, the only sounds that could be heard is the pack fleeing. Lupus simply looks back in the direct they came from as Vella forcibly carried her across the forest.

Maybe it was just in her mind, but she could've sworn she heard someone scream.

…

Numbness. That's all Lupus really felt after Hina and Superman landed at yet  **another**  den. This one was… more open than the rest. Trees pepper the area around them, each bearing fruit with most having… peaches? But, Superman said peaches can't grow in the mountains... Peaceful, full of life, almost the direct opposite of Lupus. She opted to just… exist as the pack moved in. Not really moving, not really reacting. Vella stayed by her side, of course. She's hugging her… to the point where Lupus's arms can't move. Hina, Superman, and Keaty are talking about… whatever.

She doesn't care enough to listen right now.

A small group of Wolfskin are getting together… must be the scouting party. Lupus could only watch with empty eyes as they readied themselves…

Lupus nearly killed Saku… her own little sister.

Her body trembles as she remembers what she saw after the 'mind-control' ended. She can  **still**  smell her blood on her own arm. She hasn't had a chance to wash Saku's life-fluid off of her.

The Nohrians are going to imprison her little sister.

Tears trail down and her legs give out, but Vella's tight hug keeps her from falling.

She's no big sister. Not after almost killing Saku and forcing Hina to leave her behind. Nevermind the fact that she was being magically controlled. Then… then she just  **had**  to go and snap at Hina for using her 'human' name, effectively pushing her away even more. Who  **is**  she? Corrin? Lupus? Wolfskin-raised half-dragon? Wolfskin-raised human? Should she just disregard all of her human side? Maybe just not consider her family… family, anymore?

Things were never  **this**  hard before she left.

Sure, there were those tough winters where the pack lost two, maybe three Wolfskin, but  **four**? With one of them recovering? With a half-dragon a very real risk? Humans are the only reason the pack made it as far as they did. If it weren't for her family, they would have been burned to death by the fires and…

Lupus would be turned into a dozen of accessories for an insane woman and her family. Bones, scales, horns, teeth, peeled and pulled, ripped and torn… Silent tears turn into vocal cries. "Sister!" Vella whispers, torn between a proper embrace and not wanting to risk having Lupus lose control. Compromising, Vella lowers herself so she and Lupus can sit down. The Wolfskin's legs are now wrapped around her midsection, pulling her ever closer. Her head nuzzles the back of her neck.

"Lupus. Velouria." Keaty walks over, looking… Lupus doesn't even bother trying to figure it out. "Problem."

Vella's ears perk up, Lupus remains still. "Now what?" Vella, rightly, hisses.

He scoffs, "I can't blame Hina and Superman for not being able to tell, but…" He looks at the trees, "This den is taken." Of course it would, because the pack doesn't have  **enough**  problems as is.

With that Vella sniffs, and Lupus gathers the will to do the same. And as if it still wasn't enough to be in another den… "Kitsunes." Vella states, Keaty nods. "Can we get far away enough in time?" If… if the pack can get a certain distance, then they won't be considered a 'threat', so the Kitsune won't give chase.

"Not without living outside of dens for a night." He admits. "Scouting party returned, couldn't risk alerting the Kitsunes early."

"Better outside the dens than fighting Kitsunes." Which, once again, is a lost battle before it even begins. They might as well just present their necks. "We're leaving now?"

Right as she asked that…  **as if it still wasn't enough**. The scent of more comes across, wait… wait. Keaty growls, Vella, growls… Lupus tilts her head. "Let me up." Lupus states.

"I can't risk…" Vella starts.

Lupus sniffs the air again, it's so… she knows that scent. Who… who… "I know that scent. Let me up!" Another sniff, "V-Vella! Remember when I said I met some Kitsunes when I visited my family? That's them! Let me up!"

Vella spares a look at Keaty, who nods. "Not that it matters, Lupus." He says. "They won't let us live… maybe you, but not us." But, she wanted to say… they want peace.

Lupus hurries out, wanting to meet Ka-da and Silky before they get too close, even though they undoubtedly caught the scent of Wolfskin. "W-wait!" She calls out into the forest. "Ka…" Within the blink of an eye, she is slammed into the ground with such a force that she's pushed several inches into the ground. She's greeted with a very  **angry**  face, "Ka...da." A Nine-tails.

"Lupus?" The growling ends, but he remains angered. "What are you doing here?!"

"Lu-pu?" Silky walks up, an armful of peaches with her. "Heeey~! Did you come to play?" Yet, she pauses and sniffs the air, "Oh! But first, we gotta clear out our hamlet!" Without a second thought, she shifts into her Kitsune form. "Wanna help?"

"Wait!" Lupus exclaims, "That's exactly what I wanted to bring up!"

"I'm not losing another hamlet. If you're helping, then help. If you're not, then stand aside." Ka-da backs off, allowing her to get up.

How can she approach this? Mentioning the pack this early will surely set Ka-da off. "My family is there!"

"Humans?" He  **growls**. "Lupus… why did you bring humans?" Of course that wasn't any better.

"...You're lying, Lu-pu." Silky growls in kind, "I don't smell humans, only… Wolfskin." She sounds… sad? "You're talking about your pack, aren't you? Lu-pu… why did you bring Wolfskin to our hamlet?"

"Please, you gotta let me explain." She desperately reaches out.

Only to be met with Ka-da pinning her down once more. "I know you want to bridge the gap between Wolfskin and Kitsune." He starts, "But forcing a solution will only bring problems." She can see him gulp. "Lupus, I will say this once. Us or them? I don't want to hurt you, but you are forcing my hand here. Wolfskin or Kitsune?" Her answer?

Tears. Lupus gives in to the stress. "You d-d-d-don't get it! W-w-we don't…  **have**  a place to go!" Ka-da tilts his head, "W-we were almost k-killed… three times!  **I had to leave my little sister behind**!"

Ka-da and Silky share a look. "So you bring your killers to us?" He took it the wrong way, of course. "How is that any better? Maybe you should've just left them at the last den!"

"Lu-pu… you should've just left them and…"

"The humans are  **hunting the pack because of me**!" She growls. "The 'King' wants  **this**  pack and  **me**  dead because of the pack took me away from the King and raised me!"

Silky drops her tone, "...Then maybe you should've stayed at the last den." Sorrow.

Silky denied her, Ka-da denied her. Lupus nearly killed Saku. She just pushed Hina away. "..." Lupus just lies there, "Forget it." She mutters. "You're right. I'm just causing too many problems." She raises her head, "Just make it quick… and don't let me be found."

Another look shared between the Kitsunes… and Ka-da steps off of Lupus. "No." He states. "Selkie." He follows up. "C'mon… we'll just look for another hamlet."

"Ka-da…" She whines. "But the trees! I don't have anymore of that quick-grow stuff!"

"We'll make another trip to that village some other time." He sounds… empty. "We're not getting involved in this, Lupus." He looks back. "Don't let your 'pack' near us. I won't spare any of them my claws… or you."

"Ka-da… Silky…" Lupus's vision stings as the two run off.

Just two more she ended up pushing away. Lupus then rises off of the ground and drags herself back to the hamlet… er no, 'den'. "Sister!" Vella quickly greets.

"They left." Lupus shrugs off her Wolfskin sister's hug. "Won't spare us again."

"They… spared us?" Keaty asks.

"Does it matter?" She bites back… though the bite is like dulled teeth. "If we stay, the Nohrians will track us down and kill us. If we leave and cross any Kitsune hamlets, we'll be killed by them." She looks around. "And that's not even including if I get controlled again." A heavy silence.

"Little sister." Hina approaches her, looking a bit more 'alive' than before. "There is something you can do to at least miti… erm, lessen the chance that will happen."

Lupus's ears perk up, a bit more life shining in her eyes, as well, "How?!"

"It starts with a bit of training." She starts off, "C'mon, I'll guide you through some of the training I went through as a Sky Knight."

"...huh?" Lupus tilts her head, "I don't see how that'll help."

Hina smiles, "Sky Knights have some of the finest resistances to magic. If I can pass on that kind of mental… toughness to you, then I bet that Nohrian Dark Magic won't even affect you." She extends a hand, "Will you let me help you… sister?"

Which she takes without wasting a second, "Yes please… sister."

* * *

It's been over a day since Lady Hinoka dropped by the castle to specifically pick up her little sister, Lady Sakura, alongside several higher-priced Festals and some incredibly  **rare**  herbs. It has been almost a week since Lady Hinoka had first turned around and apparently saved the Wolfskin that Lady Corrin is with from Princess Camilla, her retainers, and a massive forest fire. It's close to approaching two weeks since Lady Corrin had left on a whim back towards that pack.

It's been over a day since Castle Shirasagi has been missing  **all**  three of the Princesses. Regardless of reasoning, such an abrupt change  **will**  cause rumors. One Princess, sure, especially one like Princess Hinoka, it wouldn't be too far off for her to take her Pegasus and head out without a second thought. Two Princesses? Well, Lady Corrin is in a somewhat similar position, as much as she loves being outside. Three Princesses? Lady Sakura might love the outdoors, but she's known for her absolute devotion to healing.

The top rumor is that the woman that came back, claiming to be 'Lady Corrin' actually was  **not**  the real Lady Corrin, but a magically disguised woman who lured Princess Hinoka and Princess Sakura out of the castle and into Nohrian hands. Such a rumor sickens Hana.

Still, it can't be denied that 'Lady Corrin' acted far too unusual. How could a vicious race like the Wolfskin raise a human child? Hana may not believe the 'top rumor', but she has her doubts.

Within the training grounds and in an uncharacteristic manner, Hana is pacing back and forth. She is at unease. It's been several days since Lady Hinoka left with Lady Sakura, and as Lady Sakura's retainer, she can't help but feel bothered that she's  **not**  by her side. "You're going to dig yourself a grave if you keep it up." Azama calls her out, seemingly unbothered that, as a retainer, he is  **not**  by Lady Hinoka's side.

"Aren't you worried?!" She snaps, far too agitated. "You heard the reports, right? The Nohrians found a way across the barrier and  **we're**  separated from our lieges! How can you just  **sit there**!?"

"I'm standing." He points out.

She groans, "You know what I mean!" She ruffles her hair… her hairband has already came off earlier, and she makes no effort to get it back in place. "I can't keep waiting…"

"Your liege told you to wait."

"Your liege didn't mention anything about waiting." She fires back.

"Hana~." Setsuna sings as she enters. "Ignore Monkundo."

"Uh…? Oh, right." Hana shakes her head, "And could you  **please**  stop using those nicknames? Don't you get how disrespectful it is to not address royalty with 'Lady' or 'Lord'?" She points at the Monk retainer, "His name is Azama."

"My name is Azama." Azama repeats. "Nice to meet…" He ducks as Hana throws a practice katana at him. "My, aren't you feisty? Such stress is not good for your body."

"I wouldn't  **have**  any stress if I could be by Lady Sakura's side!" She huffs. "Y'know what? Forget it! I'm leaving." She storms out of the training area… the training area with a canal of sorts… made from Hana's repeated pacing. She walks through the halls… no, she  **stomps**  through the halls. She can't wrap her head around how… casual Lady Hinoka's retainers are! Gods only know what kind of danger Lady Sakura and Lady Hinoka are in! And, and… Lady Corrin still doesn't have any retainers! "Ngh…" Hana cries out as she slams into a wall of iron…

No, that's Crown Prince Ryoma. "Hana." He crisply greets.

"Gods, I'm so sorry, Crown Prince Ryoma." She quickly apologizes, "I was lost in my…"

"Pack your armor and weapons. We're leaving." He cuts her off, "And if you see Setsuna and Azama, tell them the same."

"We're… leaving?" She asks, a smile forming. "I can…"

He nods, "Towards the border. Takumi, his retainers, and a number of other elite guards will remain with the Queen. A number of other guards have been deployed out across Hoshido. The remaining few are going towards the border."

She immediately stiffens and salutes, "Sir, yes sir!" Hana's mood had instantly improved, knowing that soon… soon she'll be by Lady Sakura's side once more. She proudly walks back into the training area.

"Oh my. I've never seen…" Azama starts.

But she refuses to let him ruin her mood. "Crown Prince Ryoma ordered that we all gather our gear! We're heading towards the border!" She orders without a second thought. "Let's  **go**!" 

* * *

**Important** : Leaving Sakura behind while she remains in a critical state. A retainer leaving their liege behind. I can already guess one of the questions. Why? Or maybe it's a statement: Subaki and Hinoka would never do such a thing. So, in response, let me provide why I went with what I did. Hopefully I didn't miss any points or if any of the thoughts sound incomplete.

First, I'm going to step back and look over the situation as a whole. Sakura nearly died from her stab wound, and if Subaki was even a few seconds later, or if they had only one Festal, or if Hinoka and Subaki had even a little bit less skill in Festals, then Sakura would have died. Sakura didn't suffer a quick stab, Corrin thrusted the lance into her, then slowly pushed further, it wasn't until Keaton arrived that the lance was pulled out. Sakura is at a point where's she lacking far too much blood, and Festals can only mend the flesh, not restore blood cell count. She's far more fragile than she already is, it really wouldn't take much for her to die. Even with her innate resistance from her class, a simple 'E' rank tome could probably kill her right now. You might as well go ahead and say that 'Miracle' procced and she's at one hit point.

Second, the decision itself. The pack is in a situation where a portion of the Nohrian army is on their way. Velouria hasn't recovered, a total of four Wolfskin have died and the pack hasn't had time to find more, Corrin is a high risk person to keep, and now Sakura is right at death's door. Yes, Keaton realizes that without Sakura, he would have lost Velouria, but he also knows that due to her incredibly fragile state, that it might as well be considered murder to bring her along. The options are laid before him: The first is, stay and try to defend Sakura, with Velouria weakened and Corrin liable to turn due to magical control. The second is to leave with Sakura and try to keep her alive, which would mean that one of the pack would have to slowly traverse the forest, which would all but to explicitly say that the one carrying a Princess will be caught. The third is to leave without Sakura, ensuring that everyone else in the pack survives. Sakura will be taken by the Nohrians, but at least as a prisoner of war, she will be kept alive.

Frankly, there's only really one option: The survival of the pack comes first for Keaton. He does not want to leave her behind, but there's no other way, not without risking everyone else.

Third, Hinoka. Yes, it's been stated that she refuses to lose anyone else, but she can see Keaton's reasoning. If they stay and fight, then with the weakened pack, they'll lose. The Wolfskin will be slaughtered, then Sakura, Hinoka, and Corrin will all be taken as prisoners. Nohr will have three Hoshidan Princesses to use as bargaining chips and morale for the Hoshidans will plummet. Or worse, for Corrin at least, she might end up being sent to Princess Camilla for a thorough descaling and horn removal. And no, Pegasi riding is out of the question for the same reason of trying to carry her in the forest.

Lastly, Subaki. He is a retainer, he is sworn to protect his liege with his life, but let's be honest here. King Garon would try and use Royalty as a leverage over Queen Mikoto, but a retainer? He wouldn't care for Subaki's life, might as well just execute him. Sakura can always get another retainer, after all. So, it's also the best if he travels with the pack, that's one more unit that can fight back later, and the second Festal-wielder.

Now then, feel free to take my reasoning how you will. Call it an excuse for unnecessary angst or maybe making characters have 'non-canonical' moments. Call it a reasonable assumption and accept the thought processes. Either way, I'm sticking with the route I've chosen.

I'm making a gamble here. I'm trusting that you all will trust that I will see this through. That I will tackle these delicate situations with proper care. The goofiness and humor has been pushed aside for now. This is war. Characters will be pushed. Tough decisions will have to be made. Emotions might have to be overshadowed by rational thought. The few or the many? Fight or flight?

And if you don't want to stay? Then you don't. If you want to see if I pull this off right, then you'll stick around.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Normal' A/N: Hm. Keaty… let Lupus stay? Despite the fact that she's a potential threat? Is he truly thinking of the pack first? Or is the 'bond' between 'brother and sister' starting to overcome rational thought? Think about it, he already nearly lost Velouria, but it's thanks to humans that he didn't. Now he's on the border of losing Lupus… so maybe he's thinking that Hina and Superman can pull another miracle out of the sky. Hina and Superman saved the pack from Camilla and the forest fire. They healed the pack after that battle. Hina provided just enough distraction to let Lupus shoot out a water stream at Niles, forcing Leo and his retainers to leave. Hina brought Saku and saved Vella from a serious case of rabies. Hina has even proved her devotion to protect the pack, despite being fully human. And now Hina claims she can help Lupus's resistance to magic.
> 
> At this point, Keaty is trusting Hina's word… a human's word. He isn't just respecting Hina's help, he's now trusting her to help. That is a massive leap.
> 
> Ah, right. Silky and Ka-da. That poor brother and sister. They finally land in a hamlet, have stayed long enough to plants trees with some, uh… Miracle-Gro, but now they're having to leave it behind. It's yet another 'Saku'-style situation. Staying, regardless if it's because the pack leaves, Silky and Ka-da somehow moved past the fact they're Wolfskin, or if Silky and Ka-da attacked, would get them involved with Lupus's and the pack's problem of having a section of the Nohrian army on them. So, for the means of preservation, they left.
> 
> Next, a third viewpoint. It's obvious that Hina and Lupus aren't going to leave the area soon. So, I needed another person to piggy-back off of. However, instead of yet another Royal, I chose Hana. Why? It's simple. I never typed anything from her perspective, and I'm confident with her character… unlike Azama. I might add a fourth viewpoint as well, depending on if I can get it done right: Sakura.


	32. Mind Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm, I suppose I'll start off with this: I posted a Father's Day fic yesterday. Anyway, while it was originally intended to be AU, I decided to make it a massive time-skip in the AU 'Struggles of Raising Hybrids', which was originally titled, 'When a Kitsune and a Half-Dragon Mate with Each Other…'. Now! Even though that 'Struggles of Raising Hybrids' is AU, that doesn't mean that everything in it will be different.
> 
> I'm not going to say which details from the Father's Day fic will turn out as 'canon', but just know that there will be several things mentioned or outright stated will end up being canon for 'Corrin, of the Wolfskin'.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Cold, so cold. Quiet and cold. Yet, this dual sensation brings the young woman a sense of peace. If she so let it, then she could easily slip into an eternal sleep. Cradled by the fact that she's actually quite comfortable where she is right now. In her mind's eye, she can see her father, a man begging to have one of his daughters by his side again. A promise of infinite peace, love, and caring. No pain, no hard times.

No.

This girl pushes past that tempting offer. She can't die here. It would definitely be the easy route, but she refuses to take it. The war between Nohr and Hoshido won't be won with inactivity. "B…" she coughs, because despite her mental fortitude, she's still lacking so much blood. "Sis…" tears fall as she forces her fragile body up.

Hinoka will save her. She knows this. Her family will win, and she needs to hold out until then. "Ngh…!" She squeals as her limbs give out and she hits the rocks with… wait.

The cave floor wasn't  **this**  smooth.

Her eyes slowly focus and her suspicion is confirmed. She's not in the den where she was skewered. Thick bars of metal greet her, one guard on each side.

Thump, thump, thump. Her heart slowly starts to pound faster as she realizes her current situation.

Nohr imprisoned her.

In that moment, memories come swarming in… how Corrin's vivid red eyes dimmed, slowly shifting to a sickening purple. How Sakura felt an incomparable pain as Corrin somehow turned her arm into a lance and pierced her midsection. How the world around her quickly became colder, her vision blurred, the metallic taste of blood coming out of her mouth.

The screams around her were dulled, the pain drowned out other senses. All she really saw was the murderous yet empty look on Corrin's face. All she felt was the lance slowly ripping more into her.

Then she woke up, weakened, almost dead. Subaki and Hinoka just  **barely**  healed her wound in time.

And how she spoke that she trusts her family to save her. Despite her incredibly critical state, Sakura knew exactly what was going to happen. The Nohrian soldiers would find her… then one of two outcomes.

They would just execute her right there, or she would be held as a Prisoner of War.

It's obvious they were ordered to do the latter. Sakura isn't ignorant, after all.

"She's awake!" One of the guards yelled. "Where's her medic?!" Soon after, the faint sound of a door opening and **slamming**  shut follows. The iron bars part to show off a light-blue hair woman… a Maid's outfit.

"Open." She coldly states. However, considering she's a healer, Sakura understands and opens her mouth. "Hm… close." A second, more keen look shows that this Maid is  **not**  pleased being here. "Arm." Sakura's body drags a bit as she slowly raises her arm, "Other." Down goes one, up goes the other. The Maid sighs, "Clothes."

Despite how weak she currently is, Sakura still manages to squeal and her face instantly flushes. "I-I-I-I…."

"I don't have time for this." Sakura's face is absolutely burning with embarrassment as the Maid flips her shirt up without a second thought. The Princess just wants to fall unconscious again. "Lousy healing job." She comments, as Sakura feels a wave of healing magic wash over her midsection. "I'm surprised the wind didn't rip your stomach open." Why is she so… cold?

"U-u-u-um…" Sakura starts with a beet-red face. The Maid pats the shirt back down and almost  **glares**  at Sakura.

"Yes, Princess Sakura?" Oh, so she does know. While Sakura is thankful for any proper treatment, this woman's coldness doesn't rub well with her. Sakura's mouth opens and closes, frankly intimidated by the other. "I'm only here for a general inspection, if you're worried about me returning, then don't."

"Wh-what's y-y-y-your name?"

A question that seems to catch her off-guard. "Flora." Her mask of coldness returns, "And now that I know you aren't about to keel over and die, I can take my leave."

"W-w-w-w-wait!" She reaches out as Flora walks away. "Th-thank you!" Flora stops, partially turns, but then resumes walking without a word. Sakura pulls her shirt up a bit, just to see… there's only a nasty scar left, it's like someone drew a ragged circle onto her skin.

And Corrin's lance is what caused it.

A mind-controlled Corrin. Sakura  **knows**  that Corrin wouldn't harm her otherwise. Oh, if only she knew at first glance, she  **could**  have done something. Sure, she wouldn't be able to dispel it, but she could lessen the effects.

But, that line of thinking is moot, as Sakura is now a prisoner.

"Part way." A far more stern voice calls out.

"Milord." The two guards reply at the same time…

And into Sakura's cell comes a single man. Blonde hair with the Dark Knight's armor set, bar the helmet. "Princess Sakura." On his hip she can spot a tome.

Brynhildr.

"U-u-um…"

"Sit." He commands. "I'm here to inform you of your situation." He pauses, "My name is Leo, second eldest son of King Garon. You are Sakura, the youngest Hoshidan Princess. Do you understand why you are here? Or is the shroud of innocence clouding your perception?"

"I-I-I'm a… pr-pr-prisoner." Tears start to blur her vision. Prince Leo has a very commanding presence and his Brynhildr only adds to the sheer authority he holds.

"That you are. A prisoner of war. Left behind by your 'family'."

"Th-They had to!" She squeals.

"Or perhaps your sisters thought you too weak." He sneers.

"That's a lie!"

"Maybe not weak, but… too passive? Helpless? A woman who cowers in the face of danger?" He presses, taking a step forward.

"I-I'm not! I stood up and I…"

"Fired a single arrow before nearly wetting yourself?" He cuts her off. "Yes, because a single arrow is going to kill all of your enemies."

"St-stop!"

"Tch." He scoffs, "Listen, 'Princess'. You are only alive  **because**  of your value to Queen Mikoto." He pulls out a sheet of paper and a pen, "Now, you will write whatever tearful tale you wish to your family. Make those words count, as it could be the last time they hear from you." Sakura almost immediately reaches for it, but stops. No, she's smarter than that. There's another motive at play here, but what? She can't trust that the contents of this letter will be the…

"No." She firmly states.

"You'd rather be forgotten?"

"You're going to copy my handwriting and forge your own letter." Shyness slowly leaves her, not that she actually realizes it.

Leo takes a breath. "Perhaps you aren't as ignorant as I thought." He nods, "Very well, Princess Sakura… yes, that was my intention." And he… openly admits it? There's something else going on here. Sakura wracks her mind at the possibilities. Prince Leo holds great magical power, not to mention the Divine Weapon, Brynhildr. He's clearly far more intelligent than most. "I suppose you win this round." He tucks the paper and pen away… then smirks? "I'll admit, I'm eager to see where you move your pieces next. How long will it take to push you into a corner and admit defeat? How much can you take before you break?"

"Y-you…!"

"We were unable to procure Corrin, so consider this as interest. If you ever see the light of day again,  **if**  you ever see your family again, you won't be the same. They're going to receive a shell of their precious princess. An emotionless wreck." He turns and starts to leave. "Keep her food and water at a minimum and at irregular times. We can't have her becoming numb with predictable repetition."

"Yes, milord!"

As he leaves and Sakura is left alone with only the two guards, she slinks back to her 'cot'. "Big sisters, big brothers…" She quietly whimpers.

* * *

Horseback riding can be a potentially rough experience, especially if the person only has minimal training in it… such as Hana. She can already feel the soreness on her both of her thighs and all the up to the area around her, obviously extremely sensitive, core. Perhaps she should have taken some extra classes instead of attempting to tune her near mastered skill with the katana?

Besides, High Prince Ryoma is the  **only**  one more skilled in the katana than she.

Now normally, she  **would**  be riding beside with Lady Sakura and maybe Subaki, if his Pegasus were taking a short stroll to rest his wings before taking flight again, but neither of them are here. Gods, she feels so horrible for not pushing the topic of going with Lady Sakura.

How is she supposed to protect her liege with her whole being if  **she isn't there with her!**  Subaki better be doing better than his supposed 'perfection' while Hana is away. If there is so much as a nick on her when she arrives…

"Hana, relax." High Prince Ryoma rides up beside her. Perhaps it's due to his multiple trips across Hoshido, but horseback riding seems to not have nearly the same effect on him. "Not just for yourself, but also your horse."

She takes a breath, though it doesn't do much, "I wish I had just left with Lady Sakura…"

"Saku will be fine, Hana. She has Lupus and Superman and Keaty and Vella and the pack with her." Setsuna slowly says.

"That's besides the point!  **I**  need to be the one beside her!  **I'm**  her  **retainer**!"

"Hana, it would be a bad idea to just run up to her, anyway." Setsuna remains calm.

Hana only seems to grow more agitated, "I'm going to her, and…"

"Setsuna." Ryoma interrupts, "Would you please explain why?"

"The alpha only let Saku arrive because he needed her. If we arrive in unannounced, he will react in a violent manner. It would be for the best if we set up camp, then get into contact with Lupus, so she can relay our presence to the alpha, then we will be able to safely enter."

Hana huffs and all but glares into the distance. "How can we even trust them?"

"Who?" It's Ryoma.

"Those Wolfskin." She bluntly states. "With all due respect, High Prince Ryoma. Lady Corrin has been missing for nearly two decades and apparently she's just been living with a pack of wolves?"

"They kept her safe and they raised her well, Hana." Ryoma sits up proudly. "I'd much rather her as she is now, than have been kept prisoner by King Garon."

"You should count our blessings, Hana." Kagero flatly states. "My liege is right, who knows how Lady Corrin would have returned if she was in King Garon's grasp… if she returned at all."

"I know, I know!" Hana looks away and takes another breath… she's simply too worked up from how far Lady Sakura is from her. "But… shouldn't she have stayed? Why would she choose  **them**  over her family?"

"Her choice is her own, Hana." Saizo speaks up.

" **You**  were the one who was the most suspicious one of her! Do…"

"You pay too much mind to rumors." He cuts her off. "Your concern is giving way to gullibility. Without a constant source of direct information, you start to grasp at anything that could be remotely related to Lady Sakura's well-being."

…

Hana shuts her mouth and remains silent. Saizo's right, he cut straight to the point and hit the issue head on. Hana's concern is essentially weakening her mental resolve. The sooner she gets to Lady Sakura's side once more, the better.

* * *

"Steady your breathing, sister." Hina calmly states as Lupus, more or less, fidgets in place. "Clear your mind and calm down."

"I don't get how this is supposed to help me resist magic." Lupus huffs as she stands as still as she can. "I thought we'd be doing something like… casting spells at me."

"We'll get to something similar to that, but right now, there's the far more important matter of that mind-control part of the spell."

"That's not the point, I meant… this is supposed to be 'magical defense' training, so where's the magic?" Lupus crosses her arms and pouts.

"Resistance is linked to mental fortitude. This is doubly true for spells that intend to disrupt your performance without actually damaging your muscles or bones."

"Alright…" Lupus takes a breath and uncrosses her arms, "Now what?"

"Focus on something that motivates you."

"Protecting the pack." Lupus nods, "Alright."

Hina smiles, "Good."

"...wait, that's it?"

"It's one way, yes."

"I don't believe that! How does thinking about something prevent me from getting controlled?"

"...Hey, sister? Mind if I tell you something… personal?" Hina looks away, suddenly embarrassed. "I… wasn't always as good as I am now. It took me a lot of practice and…"

"You use to stumble around and did a lot of silly things." Lupus interrupts her, "Superman told me."

" **What**?!" Her face turns as red as her hair, "He… what?!"

"Yeah, also told me about how it looked like you didn't belong there. Your eyes were all red and it looked like you… uh, Hina?"

" **Subaki**!" Hina storms off.

"Hm…" Lupus hums as she bobs her head, "Focusing on something that motivates me will… keep me, me?" She looks around…

"Sister!" And is promptly tackled to the ground by Vella. Her tail is furiously wagging and, wow… she looks so much better. "I feel soooo good! Wanna play?" She starts sniffing Lupus without constraint. "Y'know what? No play, just… hold me."

"...Vella." Lupus sighs.

"Lupus?" Vella tilts her head. "What's the matter? I thought you'd be really happy to see me all better."

"I am." She nods. "It's just… are you sure?"

"Huh?"

"That you wanna be this close?" Lupus bites her lip as she feels the heat between her legs rise up again.

"Because you're in heat?"

"No! Y'know, what happened with Saku." Lupus is now looking away.

"..."

"Vella?"

"I'd do anything for you, sister." She solemnly states. "If you're afraid you'll hurt any of us, I'll keep you still. I'll hold you down as long as I have to."

"That won't get rid of the curse, Vella. You can't just isolate me from the world and expect all of the problems to fade away!"

"Then I will hold you until we  **get**  a cure!" Tears start staining her fur. "I'm  **not**  losing you!"

"Vella! I don't need someone to look over me every second of the day. I don't want to be held down when I can't be me."

Tick tock. Vella's expression slowly shifts, from sisterly love, to concern, to…

Hurt?

"You… don't… want me?" Vella slowly removes herself from Lupus.

"Huh? No! That's not what I meant!" Lupus slowly rises in kind. She hadn't wanted to start the talk like this, she wanted to approach it gently. "Vella, please listen to me, okay?"

"I want to hold you. I want to love you with all I can. But, you…" Vella frowns.

...Lupus hadn't realized just how  **bad**  Vella's obsession has become. "And I want to hold you and…"

"Liar! You  **just said**  that you don't want me to hold you! If I can't hold you, I can't sniff you! If I can't sniff you, I'll forget your scent! If I forget your scent, then I might as well just… just…" Vella turns away. "Go away." She finishes. "Is that what you want? For me to go away?"

"That's not what I said! Vella! Stop and… Vella? Vella!" Her Wolfskin sister walks away. "Vella!" She takes a step forward, then stops…

No, it would be a bad idea to keep going. Emotions are too high, she'll just end up saying something stupid, or she won't get it out right or, or… "Lupus." She doesn't need to turn around to know who it is.

Dadaan stands tall behind her. "Yes?" But Lupus keeps looking ahead, Vella has went into her den.

"What do you need me to do?"

…

'Me'. Not 'the pack'.

…

"I don't know." She states.

…

Something that motivates her. "Well, if you…" He starts.

"Dadaan?" She asks as she turns around. He is holding a rather… powerful presence. It isn't as much as Keaty's, but he's not just the alpha, but also a Wolfsegger. Still, even with all of that considered, Dadaan is far stronger than all the other male Wolfskins. "Hold me."

He tilts his head, "But, you just told Vella…"

"I don't want to be held  **all**  the time, and that's the part she didn't listen to!" She chokes on some air as tears roll down. "So please, just for a bit…" A short pause and he steps forward, slightly uncertain. More human things, but… this is also something that Lupus has done with at least some sort of consistency with the ones who grew up with her, so…

He follows through with her request. Two primarily black-fur covered arms wrap around a body covered with skin without any fur. Lupus can see the numerous patches of purple fur that lines his body, though his stomach is covered with white fur. Gentle breathing, calmness. Care. Love. Lupus takes a deep breath of his scent. It isn't as potent as Keaty's but… that lack of 'power' makes him smell… sweet? No.

Lupus's sorrow slowly stops, the rivers of tears turning into spots and little puddles. Her crying turns to silent sniffles. Whatever trembling her body had stopped and she… relaxes. She grips and strokes his fur. Peace. Her arms finally wrap around him…  _"Think about something that motivates you."_  Well, what if that some...thing is a some...one? Lupus holds him tighter, until the pain from that spell Leo casted on her just seems to fade. And that, that is when it dawns on her. Dadaan's scent, that is.

It's that same scent she's been associating with Seta.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… Sakura's alive! But… in the care of Flora? It's clear that Flora isn't there by choice, either. Still, she has a job to do, and if Sakura were to get ill or the like, then Flora and her tribe would be the ones in trouble. And… then there's Leo. The wielder of the Brynhildr is in charge of Sakura's treatment. Oh boy, however it seems like he's wanting to break Sakura's… innocence? Her will? But, what about the part where Leo openly admitted what he was trying to do?
> 
> Next up is… Hana. It's clear she's at unease, but is she really willing to go against orders? I think so, I think that she'll take her oath to protect Sakura with her life higher than the orders she gets from Sakura. I pulled that reasoning from her Support with Corrin, when the topic of her devotion as Sakura's retainer is brought up, and the following conversation about Hana's father.
> 
> The third and last is Lupus! It started off well enough, right? Some mental training. Honestly though, I liked how Hinoka was about to bring up her determination with why she became a Sky Knight… then Lupus turned around as was like, "Yeah, Superman already told me that." I wonder what Hina is gonna say or do to him?
> 
> Then the topic of Vella's obsession came up, and… yeah. That definitely didn't go too well.
> 
> And, aww… it seems like Lupus and Dadaan are becoming a thing now, right? I mean, you don't just go and share such a deep, loving hug like that without something following up. Or, who knows, maybe it won't go anywhere...


	33. Honor and Tradition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh when, oh when will the happy times return? Oh where, oh where can they be? Are they near the Castle or in the woods? How high must I climb? How low must I drop? Oh where, oh where is the fluff?
> 
> "Go and update something else, will ya?"
> 
> …I do waht I want!
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

 

Warmth is slowly starting to return to Sakura's being, though she can feel the effects of the distinct lack of sun and proper nutrients. In addition to her already relatively frail body, the fact that she nearly died, and the cramped nature of the cell, her body is thinning more than is probably should. Any training she had with Takumi on the bow has been already nullified. Some bread and water can only do her so much good.

Nourishment…

True to Prince Leo's orders, Sakura never knows when the food will actually arrive, leaving her in a state where her eyes are frequently darting over to the bars, hoping that the tray of bread and water have made their way into her cell. If… if this is how she's being treated, a Princess, then she fears what a 'common criminal' would get.

She's thankful the Nohrians aren't torturing her, but… the treatment she's getting is almost at that level and…

"Part way." She stiffens as she recognizes  **his**  voice. "Open." Prince Leo has returned. His visits are as sporadic as the food and water she gets. A constant reminder of how  **trapped**  she is. Where is she? The Nohrian castle's dungeons? She was never told how long she was unconscious. "Sit." Sakura quickly does so, and he holds his hand out.

She feels a magic wave pulse onto her, "Prince Leo, may I ask a question?"

"Yes?"

"Wh-where am I, exactly?" He remains silent, "O-okay, then… where a-are your r-retainers?" More silence. "What will you answer?"

"I never said I would answer any of your questions, Princess." He sneers. "Are you finished with your wailing?" A pause, "Good, now. You're going to answer a few questions."

She looks at him with suspicion, "A-about?"

"Let's start simple, alright?" He pulls out a small notepad and a pen, "What's your preferred scent?"

"U-u-um… huh?" Sakura is caught off guard by the  **strange**  question.

"Or perfume, however you wish to think about it."

Surely it wouldn't hurt to let such a detail go to him, right? She quickly thinks over what he could potentially use with that, this isn't something potentially useful like knowing her handwriting… "M-my namesake, sakura petals."

He writes her response on the paper. "Favorite color."

**What**  is he planning?! "Light pink." She looks at his form, and he seems relaxed. His presence doesn't have that same foreboding feeling as last time.

"How about favorite animal?"

Slowly, answers start to become easier to come out, "Well, I always love brushing my big s-sister's Pegasus…"

She, unfortunately, missed his smirk. "Food?"

"I l-like the sw-sweeter fruits, but I do have an occasional want for a green apple."

"Clothing."

"Hm… I know I-I'm royalty and that leads to always getting the expensive higher-quality things, but I've always wanted more… simple clothing. I don't exactly like having a lot of extra things if someone else  **needs**  something." A short pause, "Oh! Um… kimonos."

"Drink?"

"It depends on what is being served with it, but generally speaking… green tea with a few drops of honey and some mint."

"Are you a fan of coffee?"

"N-Not really, but Subaki knows how to mix it just right for me, so… only if he makes it."

"Subaki?"

"He's one of my retainers, one of the rarer male Sky Knights with darker red hair and a streak of perfection. He's really nice and he likes to help."

"Hm, how about pillows? Feather-based or cloth-based?"

"Cloth, it unnerves me if my pillows have animal feathers in them."

"I see." He tucks the notepad away, "Thank you for your time, Princess Sakura."

"A-am I getting a-a-accommodations?" She hopes, why else would he ask for preferences, right?

He chuckles, "You are correct again, Lady Sakura." The smile fades to a more straight lined mouth. "As we both know, you  **are**  royalty." He nods, more to himself, "I can't say I'll be able to secure all of them, but do expect a fair amount of such amenities within the next few days." He turns to leave, "You'll be getting a visit from your new healer soon… much to her insistence. Take care, Lady Sakura."

"You too, Prince Leo." Well, that was a rather… strange set of questions. She was expecting things more along the lines of 'what is the recently most used… armor' or something.

It's a shame that from the overall tone of the conversation and with Leo ending on a positive question, that it slips Sakura's mind she openly talked about her retainer. Sure, this wasn't something he could use to break open a gap in the army, but that wasn't the point.

The point is that Sakura opened up to him.

"W-wait? New healer?" She echoes far after he has already left. While she wasn't particularly fond of Flora, she also hopes that nothing bad happened to her.

"'Scuse me… comin' through!" A cheerful voice rings out, "Super-awesome healer is here to save the day!" Higher pitched and definitely full of life, and the form that comes within Sakura's sight? "Heya! You muuuust be… Princess Sakura?" A relatively young-looking woman asks her. She has a bright smile on her face, and a long pair of pigtails. The guards part to let this ball of joy in. "It's so good to see you! My name is Elise!"

"Hello… E-E-Elise." Though, her brightness is a tad bit overwhelming.

"Hey~! Don't be shy. I'm here for ya. So, how's it goin'?" She pulls out a bag… a vivid pink, decorated with flower designs, sunshine, and rainbows. Such a stark contrast to Nohr. "You don't have any big bad hurting spots, do you?"

"Well, I am sort of sore, but that's from the sleeping arrangements." She admits.

"Huh, yeah… I'm afraid a Staff can't do much for that. Anything else?"

"Staves don't have a numbing effect?" Sakura asks instead.

"Nah. Staves can be, like, super picky on what they will and won't heal, buuuut~! They can also heal wounds like nobody's business!" She winks. "So, anything else?"

…

Sakura likes her.

* * *

Hana has taken to walking for today's march. She's simply not up for another day of horseback riding, lest she loses all feeling in her legs… not including the saddle sore factor. Thankfully, they've traveled enough to where the Bottomless Canyon's mountains are starting to become easier to see. According to Lady Hinoka's hasty explanation, the 'pack' has been routed North-bound, further into Hoshidan territory. Which means that Lady Sakura is in that direction…

Their destination is  **not**  near that general area. No, they have to establish a base of operations as Setsuna is escorted by a few others to try and get Corrin's attention for a proper meeting with the alpha. She understands why, but it doesn't grate on her patience any less. Why can't she be aside Setsuna for a guard? No, she takes a breath to calm herself, something she's been doing more of lately.

She can't even focus on training without  **knowing**  that Sakura is within  **at least**  her earshot.

"Hana?" And out of literally nowhere, Kagero pops into existence, "Would you care for some tea later?"

Yet she shakes her head, "Thank you for the offer, Kagero, but I don't think tea is going to do much for me. This… agitation won't really leave me until I can see for myself that Lady Sakura is well." A short pause, "How would  **you**  feel? If Lord Ryoma was out here instead?"

She closes her eyes for a moment, "I understand your point of view. I too, would be at constant unease. However, if we are fully following the current situation, then I'd trust that Saizo would be giving his all to make sure Lord Ryoma is safe. I'm certain that he would even give up sleep if the situation demanded it."

"Hmph, and you would be correct." Saizo appears on Hana's other side. "Trust Subaki, he is no slouch. Royals have two retainers for a reason. Such tasks need more than one person." And just like that, he vanishes once more, probably to Lord Ryoma's side.

"That's something that needs to get pressed into Lady Hinoka's retainers, not me." She huffs. "Kagero? What's your opinion on those wolves?"

"As unorthodox as the situation was, I believe in the sincerity of their actions. We can't deny the fact that while yes, Lady Corrin exhibited behavior that can be… bizarre, she also showed as much love and care as the rest of the Royal Family. I believe we need to put more faith into the Wolfskin, they are far more intelligent than what most people assume."

"So… the rumors, then?"

"Are just that, rumors. Not everyone has seen Lady Corrin's caring nature, only her… 'wild' side. Besides, Lady Corrin hasn't made the… best first impression." Kagero looks bothered.

"Whaddya mean?"

Kagero sighs, "I've traced reports of thievery back to one of the smaller towns in Hoshido, and it seems to lead that Lady Corrin was the one responsible. 'A white-hair woman with red eyes who possessed an unnatural amount of stamina, flexibility, strength… almost everything on a physical level'."

"Oh right. I heard about a skilled thief…"

The female Ninja lets out a small chuckle, "Skilled only in her movements, I'm afraid Lady Corrin is not subtle by any means." She shakes her head, "Regardless, she was able to heavily outperform any Ninja that attempted to give chase. She could dent metal and tear through leather-based armor without much issue. We are very thankful that Lady Hinoka was able to locate her, I fear what would have happened if Lady Corrin continued her actions."

"Yea, I can get why. Not even a Princess can get away with multiple accounts of thievery…"

"And murders." She smoothly states.

Hana stumbles shortly after. "Uh-what?"

"There was apparently someone who stole her bag from her in a crowded market. She caught up to him and slammed his face into the concrete hard enough to crack his skull. The second was one of the guards giving chase. She used his head as a platform to jump, snapping his neck."

"Gods… I didn't hear about that."

"...We kept it under wraps." Kagero admits. "It would have been very difficult for Lady Corrin to maintain a peaceful presence if she was known to be the killer."

"So… you lied to everyone?"

" **I**  didn't lie to anyone. The ones tasked with information control withheld the fact." A pause, "Hana, I understand your honor as a Samurai, and with it the honesty it includes… but there are some things that need to be handled discreetly."

"I get it, but it doesn't mean I have to like it." She huffs. "How much longer?"

"We'll reach our destination within an hour. Setsuna will be sent out soon after." High Prince Ryoma supplies.

"Alright, one more hour…"

* * *

Lupus pokes her head around the corner and into Vella's den. She's calmed down, so she's going to try and approach the topic more gently this time. "Hey…" Lupus just barely whispers. "How's it going, sister?" She enters.

Vella looks up, her eyes betray a slight hurt. "I'm sorry." She starts off with, "I know. I get it. I can see it with how Hina acts." A short pause, "Your  **real**  sister."

"Your are as much as my sister as Hina is." A few more steps forward as Vella just sits there. "Who cares if you aren't by blood."

"...I also understand that you don't always need me around." She continues, "But I find myself simply  **unable**  to leave your side. You have this… lure that demands my attention more than any male could match."

Lupus has a… lure? "...Are you at least willing to try? I'm not saying going completely through with it, just… make it less serious."

"I don't like the sound of that, sister." Stubbornness rears its head. "But I also want you to be happy and if that's what I have to do… then yes. I'm willing to try."

"Thank you, sister." Lupus hugs her.

"...As you want." Vella quietly whispers.

"I promise to make it as easy on you as…" She stops as her ears twitch.

" **Humans** …" Vella growls.

"Already?!" The two sisters break the hug and dash out.

Keaty is standing in front of the rest, Hina and Superman are slightly off to the side. "The Nohrian army is picking up their pace, sister." Hina states. "Keaty said he didn't smell many, so we're fighting this time."

"Three." The alpha calls out.

"Royals?" If… if they send even  **more**  of those absurdly strong people, then…

" **Lupus**!" Said half-dragon immediately relaxes. " **I dunno how to howl**!"

"Sister?" Vella asks.

"Is that… Setsuna?!" Hina exclaims.

"Seta!" Lupus quickly moves up and…

"Why?" Keaty  **growls** , "Why are there  **more**?" He rounds on Hina.

"I said that I could only bring…" Hina's voice cracks. "Sakura."

"Then they followed you here." Oh, that's not good. "I knew it. I  **knew**  it. I should've saw this coming. I let a  **few**  humans in, and now more are coming." He clenches his fists, "Where do you stand, Hina? Are you going to turn  **your**  weapon on us?"

"Setsuna is my retainer, if…"

"The pack. Or  **them**?" He pushes.

Hina glances at Lupus, "I can convin…"

"Drop it." His Beaststone glows, "Your weapon, drop it. You as well, Superman." A second's hesitation… "Lupus, deal with 'Seta'."

…

'Deal'. Lupus only nods as she quickly walks towards the archer she…

The woman she loves. "Now, down on the ground. You two, watch them." She hears Keaty order.

She shakes her head and keeps moving. "Lupus!" Seta smiles the second she makes eye contact, "I…" She stops, frowns. "I wish I could've called you from further away."

Lupus  **wants**  to hug her, to hold her, to sniff her… but that's not what Keaty ordered. "Seta, you need to leave." She feels her heart slow down as Seta takes that in.

"Lady Corrin, please." Kagero? "We understand that the situation is incredibly delicate, but words need to be spoken."

"K… the alpha told me to 'deal' with you, please… just leave. Don't make me fight you."

Seta's face grimaces. "I understand."

"Setsuna! We…"

"No, don't push her, Kagero." Seta interrupts. "The pack comes first." She takes a breath, "Just… one question, okay?"

"Make it quick." Lupus hates treating her like this.

"Lady Sakura's well-being, how is she?"

…

"Lady Corrin?"

…

The bush behind them parts, and out comes Hana. "Hana?! Red ordered…"

Hana glares at Seta, before rounding her gaze at Lupus, "Setsuna asked you a question.  **How is Lady Sakura?** "

"..." Lupus turns away, unable to say what happened. "Leave."

"I swear to the gods, if she even suffered a  **single scratch** , then I'm going…!" Hana squeals, draws her katana, and hops back as Lupus's arm shifts into a lance, skewering the spot where her leg just was.

"Leave. Or I will have to force you to leave."

"Lady Corrin." Hana flatly states, unbudging.

"We're leaving." Seta announces.

"Pardon our intrusion, Lady Corrin." Kagero follows Seta.

"I'm not until I at least know my liege is safe! Why can't you tell me?"

"Just.  **Leave**." Lupus growls.

"No way! It's just one question. You could've answered it over twenty times by now!"

"Lupus." She stiffens as Keaty walks up. "Two left, one stays."

Hana remains stone-cold, "Is it really against your tradition to not answer questions?"

"Hana, please…" Lupus starts, only for Keaty to have that aura of dominance about him.

"She won't listen." Keaty states, "Typical human. How many more of you are out there?" He shifts into his Wolfsegger form, "So I know how many pieces to send you back in."

"Kea…!" Lupus tries.

"I'm not letting this one go." One step shakes the surrounding area.

Hana, almost foolishly, stands in place, her stance readied. "I have an oath to Lady Sakura to protect her with my life. I refuse to stand aside, ignorant of my liege's condition. If you won't tell me, then I'll force it out!" She charges, raises her katana and…

Keaty snatches her by the sword. His Wolfsegger form providing more than enough defense to keep the katana from barely even scratching him. Maybe if her katana was made of steel? A shattering sound follows as he snaps the katana with his hand alone.

Given Hana's expression, that was probably one of the last outcomes she was expecting. She scrambles back as he stomps the ground she was just at, though the force alone was enough to bounce her up a few inches, and she lands on several rocks. His second action didn't miss, though his massive foot is only on her enough to keep her from moving.

It wouldn't take much to flatten her.

"You'd strike me when I'm down? When I've no means to defend myself?" Honor… one of the highest things a Samurai holds to themselves.

"You intrude on  **my**  grounds and expect  **me**  to follow  **your**  rules?"

"It's a standard of honor, not…" Keaty shifts back, his foot on her chest still.

"Honor." He repeats, "The same thing that poachers have for us? Traps lying on the ground? A toxin made  **specifically**  for Wolfskin? Have you ever seen a Wolfskin without their fur? Maybe a human without their skin? How about I show you a pile of human bones?"

"That's…"

"Wrong? Cruel? How do you think  **we**  feel? Hunted down, year after year! Fur being skinned off, with some of them  **still alive**  when it happens. Have you ever happened across poachers boiling up a stew of Wolfskin meat?" Hana's armor cracks, "Is that what  **your honor**  is?"

"No! Poachers can't gra... **ah!** " Shards of her armor start piercing into her chest as the pressure increases. "L-Lady Corrin! G-Get..."

"She won't help you." He growls. Another, much slower cracking sound follows… her ribs? Even Lupus is starting to feel ill from the sound. "Lupus would have given you a much cleaner death than this,  **human**."

"Hana!" No, why more? Isn't the situation bad enough? Seta knows better than to bring more, even Kagero seems to have understood.

"St…" Lupus starts, but a simple growl from Keaty silenced her.

"Alpha." The rest of the pack is here and… she can even smell Hina's and Superman's relative amount of fear.

"Was this part of  **your**  plan, human?" Keaty growls as Lupus's blood-family starts appearing. "Hina and Superman  **conveniently**  arrived as the forest around  **my**  pack burned. Saku  **happened**  to be the only one who could cure Velouria's disease. Hina's training just so happened to be effective against Lupus's curse. And now here you all are… I let two enter, then comes a situation where three are in. The next thing that happens? All of the family is here."

"L-Lord…" Hana gasps, her arms doing nothing against Keaty's force.

"Please, let her go, alpha." Red stands tall, "She went against her orders."

"Shows how much respect you command, human."

Hana starts choking up blood.

"What can I do to convince you otherwise?" Red presses. "I understand I can't undo…" Keaty's eyes twinkle with a savage light.

"We would much pre…" Monkundo started, but Seta literally slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Shush." She uncharacteristically hisses.

"Lupus already showed your kind mercy several times over. Seta and Kagero left of their own will. Yet, Hana stayed. And the rest of you arrive." The mentioned Samurai has fallen unconscious… anymore pressure and he'll stomp right through her… in his 'human' form.

"Then I'll fight for her safety." Red resolves.

"Typical…"

"As a High Prince to an alpha, I challenge you to single combat." Red continues.

"You wish to take  **my**  pack from  **me**?!"

"No. I wish to see my family and their retainers left unharmed. I wish for us to see eye to eye… and if I have to attain this 'alpha' status to do so, then I will." He takes a breath, "The question is, do you accept?"

Keaty raises his foot off of Hana… then kicks her towards Lupus's family. Her body rolls without any input from Hana. "..." Keaty stares him down as Monkundo immediately begins tending to Hana. "Unarmed combat." He finally replies.

"In your 'human' form, I guess?"

"In my human form."

"Big brother! You…" Hina is silenced with a growl from Keaty.

"I accept your terms, alpha of this Wolfskin pack. May the best fighter win."

"Hmph." Keaty scoffs as he turns towards the den. "Come."

"Lord Ryoma! Allow…" Saizo starts.

"No, I alone will duel him. If the only way to converse is through Wolfskin tradition, then that is what I will do." Red replies as he follows Keaty. "Are they allowed to watch, at the least?"

"Only if their weapons are out of their reach." Lupus slowly follows, Dadaan next to her.

"Setsuna?" She hears Kagero just barely whisper. "What do you think the odds are?"

A pause, "Lupus?" Seta asks, "Does challenging an alpha go to the death?"

"Depends." She responds, "It will go on until one yields."

"And that doesn't usually happen unless the one that gives in is permanently crippled." Dadaan adds. "Fighting for the status as the alpha is no small matter. So yes, death is to be expected."

"Be thankful brother isn't using his Wolfsegger form." Vella sniffs. "For what good that will do, anyway. Might as well dig a grave for him." She soon mutters 'damn humans' afterward.

Both the pack and Lupus's family arrives back at the den. "Weapons." Keaty orders.

"Lord R…" Saizo starts.

"Do as he says." Red interrupts. "All of you."

"That includes you, human."

"I know." Red nods as he takes the sheath of his Divine Weapon off of his waist. "Ever since the day the Rajinto chose me, I never thought I would ever fight without it, but…" The sacred weapon is tossed aside, more like an unwanted toy, "Don't underestimate me! I fight for my family! My friends! My country! My people!  **For the glory of Hoshido**!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems like Leo is, in fact, playing the 'good cop, bad cop' routine on his own. He managed to slip through by asking Sakura questions she thought had no real way of being used against Hoshido. I hope Sakura didn't come out as… dull? Leo is supposed to be the smarter one here, right?
> 
> Alright, I just wanna skip to the, what is probably the most glaring portion. Lupus's refusal to admit what happened to Sakura. Perhaps if Hina or Superman was sent, then it would have been mentioned, but I think Lupus would be still too wracked with guilt to admit what happened. Okay, so that's somewhat reasonable, but…
> 
> Then why did Kagero not pick up on it? Well, this is a very small tidbit and was directly mentioned one in Chapter 1, but also expressed, I think, around the time Lupus met Hina. Lupus is terrible at telling lies, but is strangely skilled in faking her expressions. She can fake tears, she has a fair amount of skill over her body, if she should choose… she just can't verbally tell a lie. Which is why she remained silent. She knew that if she started talking, then that she would end up telling the truth.
> 
> Now, the situation with Hana. So… yeah. For those of you who read 'A 'Human' Holiday', this is the variation of the event that Hana brought up. Keep in mind, 'A 'Human' Holiday' is a time-skip for 'Struggles of Raising Hybrids' and that 'Struggles of Raising Hybrids' is an AU for 'Corrin, of the Wolfskin'.
> 
> I do, in fact, believe that if it came to Sakura, that Hana would ultimately choose her role as guardian over actual orders. A choice that almost got her killed… being crushed. With her only saving grace is that Ryoma chose to challenge Keaty's position as alpha.
> 
> So, what does that leave for the near future? What is Leo planning? What could be the difference with Elise tending to Sakura? Aaaand, Ryoma versus Keaton.


	34. A Question of Duty and Loyalty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Prince Leo has kept his word, a portion of Sakura's preferences have made their way into her cell. Perfume? Well no, but she expected that that would be one of the things that wouldn't make it, just like any animals. A cotton-stuffed pillow and a thin sheet, both made with light pink cloth, have been added. She is given a single slice of a red apple with every meal, and the tiniest cup she has ever seen with some green tea. It isn't much, but at least it goes to show he is trying?

Of course, there's that part in Sakura's mind that is telling her he is only doing this to try and coax more information out of her…

Then… is Elise's joy and care part of the act?

Sakura's eyes dart around as she starts to go over the events of the last few days in this place. Leo started off with threats… or maybe he was just stating facts? Things that all prisoners are told? Flora seemed intent on being harsh, but then she's gone the next day. Leo returns tomorrow and suddenly he is all nice and asking for preferences…

But Leo is also the one who cursed Corrin and essentially caused Sakura to end up in this position in the first place.

What will be his next move, then? Threats or compassion? How can she get one step ahead of him? Sakura takes a steadying breath, focus. Just focus. As long as she stands strong, she'll be fine.

Her family  **is**  coming for her.

Footsteps, but no voice. The guards part way once more and, "Leave." She sees a man with slick black hair and some sort of half mask on his face. The two guards quickly depart and Sakura is left alone with this man. Why is his skin so pale? "Princess Sakura." His voice comes out… horrid.

"Wh-where's Pr-Prince L-L-Leo?"

"I'm afraid Lord Leo is busy with the war… and we can't have you missing a day of 'conversation' can we?"

Brave, brave, focus. "U-Um… what's… y-your name?"

"Iago." He has yet to step into the actual cell. "I see he has procured… lavishes on your behalf."

She slowly nods, "He d-did."

"Only because Princess Elise repeatedly asked him." He tilts his head, a sick smile to his face. "What do you think of Princess Elise?" Sakura gasps and before she can reply, "Oh, what's the matter? Did she not tell you?"

"Th-there were more im-important things th-than titles at th-th-the time!" She somewhat lashes out.

"Ah, there it is. That hidden courage of yours." The cell finally opens and he steps in. "How does it feel, to be so afraid all the time? Wouldn't you like to get rid of that? Leave only bravery and courage with you?"

His presence only spoke of wrongness, his words more foul than anything she's ever seen. Whatever came out of his mouth  **can't**  be trusted. "Only through m-my own w-work!"

"On your own?" He steps forward, "Heh, the only thing you can accomplish on your own is cowering as you are now."

Sakura takes a breath, steadies herself and speaks up, "You don't kn-know that! I… I won't let you i-i-intimidate me!"

"That precious stuttering isn't making a good case for you." He takes another step, she stands strong. "I could have you as not much more than a wailing child in  **minutes** , Princess."

…

This man is just… "Iago!" Sakura's breath catches as a very angry sounding Leo storms in, " **What**  are you doing here?"

"Prince Leo? My apologies, I thought you were going to be unable to attend to Sakura today."

"Did King Garon give you privilege to  **enter**  her cell?"

"Interesting that…"

"Leave." Prince Leo orders with such a sternness that it frankly shakes Sakura.

"...of course." He bows and takes his leave as Prince Leo stares him down.

Then looks at her, "Are you well, Sak… Princess Sakura?" He asks.

"...He scared me, but other th-than that, no." She looks away…

Missing the sigh of relief, "Good. Princess Sakura, I had omitted this, but…  **only**  Princess Elise and I have the right to physically enter your cell. Unless the person has authorization from King Garon, of course." She looks at him again, "Do you understand? You  **do**  have rights, Princess Sakura."

"I understand, Prince L-Leo." A short pause. "Thank you."

"It's of my error, I had been held up." He admits. "Now then…" He enters her cell and the aura of power kicks in again. "Due to Princess Eliss's absence, I am collecting information of your well-being on her behalf." He pulls out that same notepad and pen. "Other than being shaken by that  **snake** , are you experiencing any other pain?"

Iago isn't held in high regard, is he? Then that means… Prince Leo has limits… standards. Then, why would he cast that curse on Corrin? Why would he bring the dead back to life in such a cruel manner? "I'm as well as a prisoner should be, I guess. Princess Elise healed what she could, and all that really bothers me now is a relative lack of food and water."

"...Good." He starts writing, "I can't do anything about portion sizes, but Princess Elise will be relieved to know of your condition." He rises.

"Is that it?" She quickly asks. "No questions about me or…"

"Interrogation, you mean?" He looks surprised, "No. I'm afraid Iago wasn't too far off, I  **do**  have quite a number of duties to attend to today." He clears his throat, "However, in light of  **his**  meddling, I will have one of my retainers either outside of or in this hallway. He will be under strict orders to only allow Princess Elise or me inside… unless for the aforementioned authorization from King Garon."

"U-u-um… thank you!"

"His name is Odin… have a good day, Princess Sakura." He walks away, "Guards! I want two of you posted back in your previous positions, and this time…  **do not move**!"

…

Act of genuine compassion or a means to get information out of her? Sakura truly can't tell the difference.

* * *

Red stands on one side of the 'arena', Keaty on the other. Due to the inherent and extremely dangerous risk of not having it, Keaty is allowed to have his Beaststone on him. Red is allowed his armor, but not the Raijinto. High Prince facing off against an alpha. Neither Hina nor Lupus had the time to properly warn Red just how strong Keaty is unshifted. True, Red saw that he cracked and almost crushed Hana with his foot alone, but Keaty was barely even trying then.

"...Please, brother." Lupus whispers, "Don't die, I'd rather you yield." That wasn't directed just towards Red, but also Keaty. While she is certain of what all will happen if Keaty yields, she has no idea what all Keaty will order if he wins. Keaty has been slowly becoming more tense and stressed as the 'human things' kept stacking up. Being chased by an army, voluntarily changing himself and the pack, allowing humans into the pack, even having Hana and Red challenging him…

She has a distinct feeling he'll probably have them killed.

"He'll win." Vella 'assures'.

"No, Ryoma will win." Hina 'assures'.

 **That's**  not the point! Lupus doesn't want this fighting in the first place! "Yeah, sure…"

"Sister?"

"Sister?" Both Vella and Hina presses.

"She's  **my**  sister!" Vella hisses.

"She can be both of ours!" Hina counters.

"As if… you humans are causing all of these problems in the first place!"

"You wouldn't even be alive right now if it weren't for 'us humans'!"

" **Stop**! Both of you!" Lupus shouts, "Go! Opposite sides of this area!"

"Sister?" The two ask at once.

"Away from me, opposite sides.  **Go**!"

"...If that is what you want." Vella rises.

"My apologies, sister." Hina leaves.

"Lupus?" Dadaan approaches her.

"I don't wanna talk." She huffs as she sits down.

"Hmph." He also huffs as he sits down beside her, but otherwise remains silent.

Red finishes his round of stretches, "Thank you for allowing me the honor of dueling you, Keaty of the Wolfskin." He bows.

"...honor." Keaty shrugs, taking his stance, which is the same as when he is shifted. "Ready."

"As am I." The two remain almost as still as statues… then Keaty charges. The distance is closed in seconds, and Keaty strikes. Red focuses and dodges, the alpha goes for another and another, but Red only moves away. Is Keaty too fast? Dodge, sidestep, dodge, Red makes no effort to seem like he's attacking.

Then Keaty stumbles back as Red lands a quick and precise strike on his stomach. In that moment, Lupus understood his style. He's waiting to strike… kinda like Hina, actually. Except that he has enough force to actually deliver a solid blow to Keaty.

Growling, Keaty restarts his attack, except that this time… Red had to shift direction due to the boundaries of the 'ring', his side is clipped by a claw swipe. It isn't enough to tear through his higher-quality armor, but there are reasonably sized shredding in it. A second strike as Red isn't able to get back to simply backing up yet. "Red…" Lupus quietly whimpers. It won't take many hits for Red to fall… if Keaty can land them. Lupus glances to one side, Hina is as tense as she can probably be… the other side and Vella seems certain that Keaty will win.

Saizo is actually having to be restrained by Kagero and Seta. The rest of the humans are keeping themselves contained.

"Ngh…" Keaty staggers, but it doesn't seem like he's actually suffered any visible cuts or bleeding. What is Red thinking?! He's gotta do more than just stagger Keaty!

Crunch… off goes on of Red's shoulder-guards in a single swipe. Lupus can tell Keaty is struggling… not from the fight, but to keep himself from using his Beaststone, or maybe it is a bit from the fight itself. Red is definitely putting up a better fight than Lupus thought. She has the feeling that she would have a tough time against Red.

One, two, three, Red makes three quick blows, stomach, upper chest, jaw. Blood finally spills on Keaty's side.

"Brother!" Vella growls.

"Get him, Ryoma!" Hina cheers.

"Alpha!" Came some of the Wolfskin, and by now, most of the ones watching are chanting one side or the other. The exceptions are Lupus, which should be obvious. The next is… Dadaan, actually, who seems to be consoling Lupus, rather than supporting either fighter. The third and fourth are the Ninjas, Kagero and Saizo… or maybe they are? She honestly can't tell from their stone-cold expressions. Lastly is Seta, who seems as disapproving of this as Lupus.

"Big brother!" Hina shouts as Keaty's claws out an entire section of Red's chest armor, kinda like how the enraged Vella did to Hina's chest armor. Red can't risk another hit like that. Which is something he picked up on, as Red goes on the defensive again.

"Get him, Keaty!" Vella calls out.

"..." Lupus simply retreats into herself, but unable to get herself to look away.

"Lord Ryoma!" Saizo shouts, but this time he's able to keep himself still.

Keaty rears another claw strike, but Red weaves under and delivers a rather vicious uppercut. A hefty kick is followed up. He goes for another head strike… but Keaty grabs his hand. Lupus holds her breath as a sickening crunch sound follows. With a single twist, Keaty almost turns Red's hand in an unnatural angle before  **ripping**  off the armor. Keaty then slams his own foot onto Red's exposed chest with enough force to send him sliding across the ground.

"B-B-Big brother…?" Lupus whimpers. "Don't die, please… it's not worth it!"

Red rolls over as Keaty attempts to stomp the man into the ground, then the High Prince sweeps Keaty from under his leg. Red rises and places his foot onto Keaty's chest and… nothing? "Do you yield?!" He shouts.

Lupus didn't need to hear Keaty's response… neither did Dadaan or Vella, or any of the Wolfskin.

Keaty replied with grabbing Red's leg and  **throwing**  the man off of him. The alpha spits out some blood, now clearly injured. She can see he's struggling, especially without his Beaststone. Red rises once more, beaten but ready to fight some more.

This is going to go to the death, isn't it?

Lupus should have expected as much, but she had hoped.

Red meets Keaty halfway, the two exchanging one fierce strikes, both on the midsection. They both keeled over and stumbled back. Red isn't giving up the defensive, is he? Two more mirrored punches, this time with Keaty's fist meeting Red's armored glove…

The gauntlet cracks and metal is pushed into his hand. Red looks pained, but still he pushes on as he knees Keaty in the stomach, followed by another quick kick. Once Keaty hits the ground, Red stumbles back. "Lord Ryoma!" Both Saizo and Kagero call out.

"I… I got this." Red announces as he heaves a breath…

Lupus didn't believe a single word, as much as she wanted to, and by the looks on his retainers' faces, neither did they. One of Red's arm has been twisted, almost completely useless, his other arm's hand now has fragments of his armor in it. His chest armor has been swiped off, he is missing one shoulderguard.

Keaty has a number of internal damage and only a few spots where he is openly bleeding.

The alpha rises once more, unwilling to stay down. He growls and charges.

…

Drip, drop.

A cornered beast is the most dangerous. With a speed that shouldn't be possible with his current injuries, Keaty slashes into Red's already twisted arm. Without wasting a beat, Keaty grabs him by his entire chest and  **slams**  him onto the ground, his foot now on his chest.

No, no, no! "Please, just yield." Lupus cries out. "Big brother!" The rest of the humans are silent.

"Human…" Keaty regards. "Well?" It's a gamble now, if Red even tries to remove Keaty's leg, then it's a sign he wants to continue.

"..." Red takes a breath, "I recognize your strength and admiration to protect, Keaty." He states, "I respect the authority you command in your pack and..."

"Answer." Keaty growls.

"...I yield." Red keeps his gaze locked onto Keaty.

"Up." Keaty removes his foot and Red rises.

"Lord…"

" **No**!" He immediately shouts, stopping Kagero and Saizo in their spots, "You both are to honor their traditions! I entered this duel, knowing what would happen if I lost, and I will stand by my word." Red stands tall. "I will not back down from my word… my honor."

Keaty looks him over. "Give them their weapons."

"Brother…?" Vella asks.

"Give them. Their weapons." He repeats. Red remains silent as weapons are slowly returned. "All of you humans, leave." He firmly states.

"Alpha?" A single Wolfskin asks.

"I also recognize the strength you possess, human. I had not expected you to last as long as you did. It would be a waste to kill you."

"Then I assume we are to simply not return?" Red asks.

"No, not exactly." Keaty replies, sending yet another wave of silence. "You will deal with this 'army'. I will not have my pack continued to be hunted down."

"The Nohrians need to be stopped, the entire world will benefit from their downfall." He nods, "However, I will also keep your words in mind as we fight. Not just for Hoshido, but also for the pack. Is there anything else?" Keaty remains silent…

So, Red takes that as a 'no'. "Lord Ryoma." Kagero and Saizo come to his side, some first aid with them.

"Oh-ho, I almost thought you were a goner, High Prince." Monkundo chuckles as he pulls out his Festal.

"If that is your command, Keaty." Superman bows, "But know that if you so need my help again…"

Keaty remains silent as the humans start leaving. "Brother?" Vella asks.

"Thank you, brother." Lupus breathes, yet… he remains tense?

"Hina." Keaty finally breaks his silence.

"...huh?" Lupus's big sister stops, as do the others to look at her.

"She's staying."

"...what?" Hina asks. "Why me?"

"Because that is what I ordered." He flatly states. "Hina stays, the rest leaves."

"And my ret…"

"Hina stays. The rest leaves." He grits his teeth.

"...she's part of the pack." Seta lazily states. "I get it."

"Well, I don't." Red replies.

"I'll explain on the way, Red… we shouldn't stay." Seta advises.

"...understood." He nods. "Little sisters… be safe." Unable to give a proper farewell, the rest leave.

"...Keaty?" Hina asks as she walks back into the open area. "I don't understand." He takes a step closer, then a second, and keeps going until he's right up at her face. He growls something so low that Lupus can't even hear it… but whatever it is, Hina gasps, steps back, and her eyes widen. "That's…!"

"It is as I say. Red lost the duel, and these are my conditions. Understand?"

"But… you can't just!" She continues, before stopping herself.

"You're part of the pack now, Hina." He says as he turns and walks, "Remember that."

Lupus shares a look with Dadaan, who shrugs, seemingly just as clueless. Vella shakes her head. She looks at Keaty, whose back is turned. Finally, she looks at Hina, whose face is burning a brilliant red.

...What did Keaty tell her?

* * *

"Ngh…" Hana gasps as she slowly wakes up, "Gods… my chest." Why does it hurt so much? She reaches down and touches it… hundreds of points of pain snap back in response. "Tch!" She grits her teeth to keep herself from crying out.

"Oh, look who's awake." The madly smiling face of Azama is staring right at her, "Are you going to attempt another suicidal fight?"

"...huh?"

"Oh dear… hazy memory? Hm, well…" he pauses, "Well, that was a  **crushing**  de **feat** , I'm surprised you weren't  **flattened**."

" **Get to the** …" Hana's mind catches up.

"And now you have been enlightened." He rises, "If you're up to it, there's a meeting soon." He walks out before she can even collect her thoughts.

That's right, she was almost crushed by 'Keaty'... completely humiliated. He snatched her sword by the bladed end, snapped it, then shook the ground with such force that she stumbled… his foot was planted on her chest armor, then…

Lack of air, burning pain, cracking sound after splintering, choking up blood then… nothing. She must have fell unconscious. " **Wait**!" She yells, but Azama is already long gone. "That…" she scowls, before forcing herself up. Pain… so much pain.

She, more or less, stumbles her way out of the tent, going to, what is undoubtedly, the war tent. She can hear people talking, but there's too many voices to discern each. "Hana?! Gods…" Kagero breathes, "You shouldn't…"

"Gotta attend meeting." Her stubborn side shows again.

"...very well. At least let me assist you." Hana offers no resistance as the Ninja becomes a living crutch.

Eyes turn to her, but they return their gaze to the front. Both High Prince Ryoma and… Subaki? They ate up front. High Prince Ryoma has large bandages wrapped around his chest, one arm, and the other hand up to his elbow.

"What happened?" Hana asks.

"I dueled Keaty for everyone's safety." The High Prince announces.

Oh, whew, "So, you won then, right? Heh, should've…"

"I yielded, Hana." A few seconds passed as Hana tries to comprehend that, "I was pinned in such a way that if I attempted to continue, then he would have crushed my chest."

"Th-then… I thought…"

"He spared us, Hana." Subaki supplies and gods, he looks so… distant. Empty, even.

"Alright, we're spared, then why does everyone look like complete…" She stops herself.

"Keaty kept Hina." Setsuna states. "Lupus remains…

"Stop it with the nicknames!" Hana snaps.

"Setsuna please, let us speak." Lord Ryoma says, "But yes, she's right. He let us walk in exchange for keeping my little sister."

"He has no…"

"Would you rather us fight and die?" Subaki  **shouts** , "Hana, stop acting in the moment and  **think**  about the repercussions of such rash actions!"

Woah, why is he so… aggressive? "Because he  **stole**  a Princess!"

"...I was aware of the outcomes if I lost, Hana. If you blame anyone, blame my lack of skill…" Lord Ryoma trails off.

Wait, missing… " **Hey!**  What about Lady Sakura?"

All eyes turn to Subaki, and the supposed 'perfectionist' falters. "Many things have happened during the time spent in the pack. I had not realized that the beatfolk have it as hard as they do until I experienced it for myself." Silence, though Hana is losing her patience, "During Prince Leo's attack, Lady Corrin was both struck by the Brynhildr and a curse. By the time we figured out what the curse was… it was too late." He's… crying?

"Su…" Hana was cut off with Lord Ryoma shaking his head.

"It was a remote mind control spell… Lady Hinoka was near during the event and I was, by Lady Sakura's suggestion, tending to the injured Wolfskin…" He takes a deep breath. "I heard Lady Hinoka scream my name and for multiple Festals. I arrived to a scene of blood. Lady Corrin's arm had… changed into a lance, blood soaked it from the tip to her elbow… L-Lady Sakura's bl-blood…" He chokes on his breath, "We… Lady Hinoka and I managed to keep her alive, but… the Nohrians weren't far off."

"Subaki…" Hana starts, " **Where. Is. Lady. Sakura?!** "

"Due to her fragile…"

 **"Where is Lady Sakura!** "

"... We left her behind." Subaki seemed to have braced himself for the worst, which was a really good thing…

Considering that Hana scream out in anger and charged at him, " **You… you did what?!"**  It was only through the grace of Lord Ryoma that Subaki was spared Hana's assault. " **You abandoned Lady Sakura!?"**

"We had no real option." He calmly states.

" **You left her to die!** " She continues to scream, her face fully reddened from pure anger. " **What do you mean there was no real option?** " Tears are being mixed in.

"We would have died." How is he so calm? "No, correction. Lady Sakura, Lady Hinoka, and Lady Corrin would have all been captured, and the rest would have died."

" **You don't know that**!"

"Yes, I do." Her protests are slowly weakening due to her injuries. "Hana, you don't know what was going on at the time."

"I know gods-damn well enough!"

"...Lady Corrin was grief-stricken as we ran. If it weren't for Vella, she would have ran back and gotten herself captured. Vella herself had just been cured of her rabies. The majority of the pack had to leave the makeshift clinic, leaving most injured. Lady Hinoka and I were primarily magically spent to the point of we were using our physical health to push on. Keaty and Dadaan were the only two capable at fighting with full strength… Hana. The battle would have been lost before it had started." A short pause, "Besides, who's to say that Lady Sakura would have been hit in the crossfire?"

"You… you still don't…  **you left her**."

"Our chance of succeeding was less than your anger-fueled attack against Keaty." He plainly states as she slowly defuses.

"...You're no retainer, Subaki." She spits out. "You… you left her."

"And the day we rescue her is the day I will ask for my formal resignation. I will accept any punishment seen fit. But, until then, I chose to live so I can assist in the rescue of Lady Sakura."

"..." Hana looks away. "Am I the  **only**  one who takes my duty seriously?" Aaand the spark of defiance is slowly coming back. "Kagero! What would you have done?!"

"..." Kagero closes her eyes, takes a breath and re-opens them. "I would take all probably scenarios into account, then choose the one that results in the least amount of casualties." Another breath, "Even if it costs me my position in the future, I would recognized that being captured gives an opportunity to be saved later. It pains me to say this, but I agree with Subaki's and to extent Keaty's decision."

"Wh…" She rounds on the other Ninja, "Saizo!?"

"It is the duty of a retainer to serve and protect their liege at all costs. The Saizo line also has been the personal protectors of the next in line. Honor demands service. I would sooner sacrifice myself if it meant my liege's safety."

"See? He gets it!"

"Hana… this is a disagreement that is consistently brought up." Lord Ryoma speaks up, "And since they are  **my**  retainers, I would tell… or order them if I have to, to follow through with Kagero's choice."

Gaping, Hana turns to… "Setsuna!"

"Hana… you know what my answer is going to be~."

"Of course I do, you and Azama leave Lady Hinoka all the time…" She gripes. "Even the gods don't know why you two still have your positions… Why are Saizo and I the only  **real**  retainers here?!"

"We know when there is a greater need for duty. When there is a time where we fight against what we've been taught." Setsuna speaks up, "Hana, you need to take a step back and think this through. What good would it do if you charged in, died, and lost Saku? What good would come from standing your ground and losing three Princesses as opposed to one? Keaty made a choice that no-one else wanted to voice, it wouldn't be easy, but he went through with it. The pack both respects and trusts Keaty. They respect his strength and they trust he'll make the right choice."

"The pack? The pack! You mean those 'beasts'?" Silence…

And never before did Hana see the laid-back and air-headed Setsuna look  **angry**. "Those 'beasts' have a better sense than you, it seems. Have you forgotten the fact that they  **saved and raised**  Lupus? That without them, we would have not have ever  **seen**  her again? Are you saying you'd rather have King Garon do whatever he was going to do to her? A mindless soldier? Make her think she's Nohrian? Have her fight against her own homeland?! You keep telling us that we're not fit to be retainers, but here  **you**  are, essentially wishing that Lupus was kept under the hand of a mad king! How do you think that makes Red feel? What if Tako heard this? Queen Mikoto? Saku?"

"Would you  **stop**  using those nicknames!"

"...No, she's right." Subaki interrupts. "We were all blinded by her return that we… or most of us, refused to acknowledge the changes. Yes, the person Princess Hinoka found was, in fact, Lady Corrin, but she isn't who she was when she was taken. The person that was attempted to learn what all humans should know… wasn't Lady Corrin. We had rescued a young woman named Lupus, a half-human and half-dragon that was raised by the Wolfskin. We had tried to change her to be the 'Corrin' that was lost. We pushed her to be the one that was lost so many years ago, but the hard truth is… that that specific 'version' of 'Corrin' was, in fact, lost. If 'Corrin' was truly 'Corrin', then wouldn't she have chosen her family over the pack? Wouldn't she have stayed? But she didn't did she? She returned to the pack, she chose her life. She wants to live her life in the pack, her name is Lupus. I believe we should respect that decision."

Kagero nods, "Lupus is certainly different. I'll never forget the fact that she fought through an almost lethal dose of a paralytic toxin."

"...Or that she can detect Ninjas with her sensitive hearing… which is sharp enough to even hear someone's heartbeat." Saizo adds.

"She will always be my little sister to me, but I will also strive to understand her choice. If she wishes to be called Lupus, then I will call her Lupus, my little sister." Lord Ryoma states.

"She had her own ways, but she still clearly loves her family." Subaki contributes.

"...I love her for who she is." Setsuna nods, a flush forming, "And I always will. Even if we never see each other again, my heart is for her alone."

"I have absolutely nothing to say that will contribute towards this tearful and serious conversation!" Azama adds with a smile.

"..." Hana looks around her. The only one here who remotely sides with her is Saizo… but even he is willing to consider Lady Corrin… 'Lupus'. "I'm going to do some light training." Alone, she walks out. It wasn't until she was out of earshot that she added, "Since I'm the only  **real**  retainer here…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leo did seem legitimately angry to see Iago in Sakura's cell, so maybe Leo was actually held up and Iago took that chance to rough her up some. However, in showing that he has no tolerance for that, it looks like Leo does have standards and he isn't 'cartoonishly' evil. He is even giving up one of his retainer's constant presence to make sure this doesn't happen again. The question that remains is… what part of Leo's actions is a means to get Sakura to talk, and which part of his actions are genuine care? Poor Sakura is being plagued with doubt, but at least she's starting to understand the subtleties in place.
> 
> Ryoma versus Keaton. High Prince versus Wolfskin Alpha. Alright, I wanna start off with these two questions. Who thought Ryoma was going to win? Who thought Keaton was going to win?
> 
> Next up is… how was the duel itself? Was it reasonable enough? I basically just extended Hinoka's 'training round' with Keaton from way back when, except that it's y'know, more brutal.
> 
> Now for the last big bits, the decisions made by Keaton after the duel. Sparing the humans…
> 
> As much as the hatred runs deep, surely Keaton recognizes the value of having Ryoma and his army fight the Nohrians, right? Sure, Keaton won't allow them to fight near the pack, but he will let them fight the army, thus indirectly securing the pack's survival. Second… Hinoka. I can't really say much here, why did Keaton only demand that Hinoka stays? What did he say to her that caused such a disbelieving reaction?
> 
> Aaaand… Hana's viewpoint. Just, whew. I hope she didn't come out as unreasonably hot-headed, but the good side about all of that ranting is that she got it out of her system. It seems she's the only one who is holding her oath as a retainer so fiercely, with Saizo being the only other one who agrees on the extent of a 'sacrifice'. Let's just hope she doesn't end up doing something reckless… or at least, more reckless than assaulting a Wolfsegger without any sort of plan.
> 
> Lastly, Corrin… as in the family's and retainers' acceptance that the woman that returned to Hoshido wasn't the same one that was stolen from them. It's rather simple here, as once you pull back the joy and means of celebration that the long-lost Princess is back… it's clear she wasn't raised the same. Sure, she still holds her canon quirks: Eager to help, relative ignorance about some topics, caring and loving. But, she also has her own set of traits this time, brought onto her by the Wolfskin.
> 
> She's Corrin, but she's Lupus. She's human, but she's a half-dragon. And ultimately, she chose the pack, not because she wanted to be away from her family, but because the pack needed her more. If she had the freedom to do so, and if it didn't risk the safety of the pack, I'm sure she would make somewhat regular visits, but neither of those are true.


	35. A 'Peri'lous Situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important: Due to the fact that I have recently adopted a furry, fur-legged puppy, and that she's not even three months old yet. All fics, including the ones listed under the 'Focusing' section, will be delayed. Yes, there will be updates, but they will just take longer.
> 
> Sakura is still imprisoned. Ryoma lost the duel and Keaton took Hinoka in exchange for letting the rest of the humans leave. Hana had her chance to blow off all of that steam. So… now what?
> 
> And whew, on the topic of nicknames. I know I haven't ever brought this up in terms of PoV, but... remember that for some characters, they only know some by their specific nicknames. For example, Keaton only knows Kaden by Ka-da. Kaden only knows Hinoka by Hina. So, like when I am going from, say, Hana's PoV. The only nicknames Hana will use are Keaty, Vella, Ka-da, and Silky.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Sakura's eyes were half-lidded as she heard footsteps approaching again. It has surely been over a week now, and she's really starting to feel the lack of proper food, she hasn't been doing much more than lying down on the 'cot'... The 'blanket' and 'pillow' are obviously not doing much for her ability to sleep, but something is better than nothing.

And the second the smell of a freshly cooked meal was wafting into the cell was the same second her body regained some vigor.

"Leave." Leo's voice. The cell's gate opens and in walks Prince Leo, a tray of some meats, fruits, tea and… he hands her a napkin. It seems a trail of drool has made its way out of her mouth.

She flushes from the embarrassment and cleans her face off. "U-Um…"

"Elise's latest visit concluded you are becoming malnourished." He supplies. "Your next few meals will contain more nutrients than normal, after that, it will be more like what you have been receiving from the start.

"Th-th-thank you!" She eyes the food as he gently pushes the tray towards her… which first? For once, she wants to discard refinery and just  **eat**. Her stomach agrees with that line of thought… so she plucks a thin slice of chicken and practically shoves it in her mouth. Sure, it's lacking in spices, but it's far more than she's been getting.

Prince Leo chuckles, "Don't get yourself sick, it would be a waste to vomit up what you eat because you're trying to shove it all down." Sakura only nods in response, frankly far too hungry to care. The only thing that could be heard for the next several minutes was Sakura, for the lack of a better phrase, devouring the meal like a starving animal. Somehow…  **somehow**  the small-framed and fragile Princess made room for all of it without feeling the need to 'push' it right back out. Then, she finally goes to wash it all down with a cup of tea… and…

"...!" Sakura gasps, and ends up missing another one of Prince Leo's smirks.

"Is it to your liking?"

"...You remembered?" Green tea, a few drops of honey and some mint. "It's… wonderful!"

"It happened to cross my mind when getting your meal together." He brushes it off.

"Gods… no, wait. Prince Leo… thank you." Sakura bows from her sitting position.

He nods, "Now, it's time for the less… desired portion of my visit." Instead of a notepad, he pulls out several folded up papers. "Any information you are about to hear has been finished and is public knowledge, so there is no reasonable harm for you to hear it."

Sakura gulps and nods… she's been, quite literally, left in the dark about the war. But… she is starting to understand. "O-okay."

"The… 'pack' that you were with is alive." He simply starts off with.

"...big sisters." She breathes a sigh of relief.

"A total of six conduits have fallen and a portion of the army has already broken through and claimed a village for Nohr."

"...wh-what?" But… Mother's barrier? Mother!

"The main army remains put." He flips the page, then takes a breath and… lowers his voice? "This is from a single scout's report, but he claimed he saw the alpha of 'your' pack and High Prince Ryoma fighting."

"Big brother?!" She squeals. "Did…?"

"He turned around and left the second he 'claimed' what he saw." He cuts her off.

"A-anything else?"

Prince Leo heaved a heavy sigh, furrowed his brows, and rubbed his temples… "Lady Corrin has completely resisted my last attempt at distant magical control. It's… she had nothing in terms of magical resistance when Camilla had fought this… pack. But now, all of the sudden, she overcomes  **my**  designed curse?!"

…

He wove that curse  **just**  for her?

Wait, so the fact that he failed to control Corrin is… public knowledge? Something isn't adding up again. "What aren't you telling me, Prince Leo?"

"I told you everything that I'm allowed to tell you, Princess Sakura. I hope your meal was enjoyable." Prince Leo turns to leave… bothered. Something else is bothering him.

"Please, I'm still a healer… what's wrong?" She reaches out.

"Princess Sakura, you do understand I am controlling how your captivity goes, that I'm Nohrian Royalty, that I nearly killed Princess Corrin, and through extent, you… yet you still wish to 'help' me?" He looks over his shoulder, and for what she can see, he seems surprised.

"There's enough fighting as it is! We can't keep having war after war! There needs to be peacetime, we need to be able to come together and accept each other for their differences. I-I think anyone can be that good person. You're… you're just following your orders from the King, I-I-I don't think th-that you  **want**  to do any of this!"

He raises an eyebrow. "Thank you, Princess Sakura. That has helped me more than you can ever imagine… have a good day." He finally leaves.

"...huh?" Sakura tilts her head as she hears the guards return. "So… was I right? He… doesn't want this war, either?"

* * *

Lupus wasn't sure when it happened, but she… or rather, Vella noticed that the glow on her side has faded. Was one day of working with Hina really that effective? Was it just a 'low level' curse? Lupus finds that hard to believe.

Hina, Hina… Lupus can't figure out why Keaty wanted her to stay. Well, she can understand if he wanted her for her Pegasus skills, or maybe her ability to use Festals? Her… spicy scent? Scents... Lupus is also still very much in heat.

Did Keaty get Hina so he would have less reason to be around her heat? That… makes sense, considering that her scent could distract him so easily… and being constantly hunted is  **not**  the time to try and get more pups. Still, it's irritating not being able to mate, as the burning feeling in her core won't leave her. She groans, frankly tired of that constant 'need' in her.

"There ya go…" She picks up Hina saying. "Thankfully Subaki and Azama left a number of Festals with me." She and Keaty walks out of his den, a Festal in her hand.

...So, he did take her for her healing. "Hmph…" He huffs, then adds in a lower tone, "Uh, thanks." He both turns and looks away, as if ashamed to admit it.

"Not a problem… even if it took me almost all of this Festal to heal what was there." She also looks away and… "Oh, hey, little sister!"

"Big sister!" Lupus greets in kind, hugging her, "How are you?"

"Kinda magically spent, but other than that, I'm good. How about you?"

"...Warm, hot even. Kinda bothered." She shamelessly admits, "But… glad everyone's alive. Hey, Hina? What did Keaty tell you?"

Her face reddens again, "It's nothing, really. Just telling me I'm a part of the pack now."

"Well yeah, I heard that part, but I meant when he got up close and growled."

"...I wasn't expecting him to growl at me, that's all."

"You're a terrible liar."

"It's none of your concern, Lupus." Keaty walks over. "It's my order. She won't tell, I won't tell, you won't know."

Well then, "Understood." She nods. "What's going to happen next, then?"

"I've already have a few scouting, I want to know how far our borders go. I want routes planned ahead of time."

"I've also suggested…" Hina starts.

"We're changing our fighting styles a bit." Keaty interrupts. "Won't be able to prepare for it often, but…" He now looks over at Hina.

"After seeing how strong the Wolfskin can be in their… 'human' forms, I thought maybe if the pack climbed some trees and hid out in the branches, then they could drop down on a group at the same time, taking out some Nohrians before shifting and using both the surprise from the attack and the subsequent fear as a means to kill the rest."

Lupus nods, "Yeah… most of my kills before leaving were made with my hands. I could kill bears from on high or sneaking behind." That's… actually a really good idea. So, Keaty kept her for a different viewpoint? "Anything else?"

Hina and Keaty share a look. "Train." Keaty answers. "Come." He tells Hina.

"See ya later, little sister." Hina waves, if a bit stiffly.

**What**  is going on? Lupus looks around and… "Lupus." And now there's Dadaan.

"Keaty wants us to train." She says, not exactly looking at him.

He shrugs, "Do you know how to fight in your dragon form, yet?"

"...Not as good as I probably could." She admits, then touches her Dragonstone. "Dadaan… wanna play rough and fast with me?"

He smirks, "Last time you wanted that, I had to go on the defensive so you could actually…!" Lupus did the next logical thing from a statement like that…

She slapped him. "I don't care this time! We got Hina, Hina has healing rod things. I wanna play rough and fast!" She shifts.

He shifts. "Well, let's see how you…" She lashes out before he finishes, but his skill allowed him to react before getting slammed by one of her horns. "Heh, too slow." She follows up, only for him to grab her by the horn and slammed her to the ground. "Still wanna go rough and fast?"

"Grr… I'm not gonna be outdone again." She growls as she stands and barely dodges a swipe from Dadaan. She then lands her first… her first hit on him, it's not much more than a scratch, but she did it.

Then staggered back as she failed to avoid a punch. "Focus." He growls… if a bit husky.

Oh right, she's in heat.

Wait, she's in heat…

Lupus internally smiles as she swings her body around to slam him with her tail, he does manage to dodge it, but fails to avoid the following hind leg kick. "Yeah, focus Dadaan…" She mocks. "But whether that means the fight or  **me**  is up to you."

He merely growls, going for another blow and missing. Oh, he's worked up now, she can catch his musk coming off pretty heavily. It's… actually making her feel a lot more heated.

Okay, maybe this wasn't a really good idea.

"Hey,  **hey**!" Keaty calls them out. "Dadaan, hunt. Lupus, shift."

"On it." Dadaan walks off.

"Keaty…" Lupus whimpers as she shifts back. "I need to train more."

"Do that without spreading your scent across the den." He  **growls**.

"I'm  **in**  heat, Keaty! That's kinda hard not to do!" He  **knows**  that! "Whaddya want me to do? Hide out in my cave for a week?"

"...Heat?" Keaty sniffs, "Lupus, your heat cycle has been over by the time we got over here." A pause, "There's something wrong with you again, isn't there?"

"It's always something, isn't it? If I'm not learning how to prance around in my dragon form, I'm in heat, or I've been mangled by some  **magical tree**! Or maybe I'm even going out  **stabbing my family**!" She growls.

…

But  **it is**  always something happening, isn't it?

"Hina!" Keaty calls out.

"Yeah?" She jogs over from… wherever she was, it's not like Lupus was paying attention. But, considering the fact that she's taking somewhat heavy breaths and that her skin is slick with sweat, she must have been training.

"Something's wrong with Lupus's core, she isn't in heat but it's causing her scent to get stronger."

Hina only tilts her head, "Uh… what? I don't know all of the terms yet… and it's not like I can smell it."

Keaty sighs, "Lupus's core…" He gestures to the dip in between her legs, "isn't sending out a… 'signal' that she's ready to mate, er… wanting to bear pups, and whatever scent  **is**  coming out of her isn't… 'normal'."

"What do you expect me to do? I'm not a healer." Yet, before he could respond, "Yes, I  **can**  heal, but I haven't studied the medicinal arts. I can't figure out illnesses on my own."

"It's always something…" He huffs.

"Kinda hurts, too… and I just got angry at Keaty but… then I was fine." Lupus adds.

Hina scrunches her face, "You told me you didn't get those."

"...huh?"

"Gods, Lupus… are you bleeding right now?" Hina sighs.

"I dunno… where?"

"Your… 'core'."

"Why would that be bleeding?" She pulls her shorts away from her waist. "...Um, Hina?"

"Yes, sister?" Hina resists the urge to sigh again.

"It's bleeding…" A pause, "Why is my core bleeding!?"

"It's that time of the month… c''mon, let's clean you up and I'll explain."

"Should I take off my…?"

"No! Not now!" Hina shouts.

"You're right, they're already ruined. So… does this happen to you, too?"

Another sigh, "Yes, sister. This is normal for humans."

"...huh, well this is my first time."

Keaty shakes his head as the two walk away, "Lupus goes into heat like a beast-shifter, but she also apparently has a 'monthly human' thing going on."

* * *

While Hana has next to no ability when it comes to tactics, she attends the meetings regardless, if just to make sure she at least sorta knows what's going on. It's also a nice break from training every now and then. Still, 'break' is being taken lightly, Hana doesn't like taking breaks. However, there is an exception this time…

And that exception is when her chest armor was crushed by a single Wolfskin's foot and her actual body almost suffered the same fate. Hana shivers as she recalls the pure  **murder**  in 'Keaty's' eyes. Part of her wonders why he even bothered drawing it out for that long, considering the amount of spite he held. Part of her doesn't care why he did, and is simply thankful she's alive…

The third part of her wishes he just  **did** … this third part of her rose up when she found out that Lady Sakura has been taken away. Her… her liege has been  **abducted**! And they are… no, just breathe.

Hana can't afford to make another rash action like trying to get answers out of the Wolfskin alpha. If… if Lord Ryoma was even a few moments later, she believes she  **would have**  been crushed.

"Move it!" Someone yells from outside, " **Healer**!" Hana waits until the others leave the tent before she follows, and what stood outside?

Orange-yellow fur, stained with large amounts of red. She… sort of recognizes it. "Hold your mortal…" Azama starts to quip.

"Just help her!" The man, no wait…

Kitsune.

"Ka-da~!" Setsuna greets, "S-Silky?" Her initial surprise turns to a look of horror. "Oh no…"

"Beast Killer, wielded by some… insane woman." 'Ka-da' states. "She managed to strike Selkie and just…  **laughed**  as the blood poured out. I shifted so I could get Selkie to a healer." He nods to himself, "Hamlet first, revenge later."

"I don't have the proper anti-venoms, but I can keep her in this plane of existence." Azama concludes.

"She'll live, then?" Ka-da asks, "Good, I…" He gets up, before Lord Ryoma steps up.

"You're the Kitsune that my little sister, uh…" He pauses, suddenly nervous.

"As much as I would normally appreciate talking, I  **need**  to hunt down this woman."

"We can help." He offers. "Even if it's just keeping watch."

"Light-blue hair, red tips, horse-rider. Has a Beast Killer and some… design of a sword I never saw before. She was getting… aroused from the scent of blood and… and…"

"Sh-she said something about Lord…" Selkie adds. "Sender? Lord Sender?"

"Xander?" Lord Ryoma asks. "Crown Prince Xander?!" And now Lord Ryoma is on edge, "He's in  **Hoshido**!? Where?"

"We were just outside our temporary Hamlet, I can't really give directions." Ka-da taps into his Beaststone and shifts, "Doesn't matter, I'm out for that woman." He runs off before Lord Ryoma could even get another word in.

Geez, and they called Hana rash.

"Lord Ryoma?" Kagero asks. "I'd advise against moving any significant number of troops right now. There's bound to be a secondary group around here somewhere."

"This 'woman' could have spared the Kitsunes only to have us lured in." Saizo adds. "I agree, we should stay put."

"We should be pooling our resources for our next attack." Hana nods, "And finding Lady Sakura."

"It… would be for the best if we didn't interfere anymore with the beastfolk than we have to." Lord Ryoma finally speaks up. "Don't worry, Selkie, we'll keep you alive and we'll get that toxin out of your body… Subaki!"

"Head towards the nearest fort and gather the anti-venom? Is that correct, Lord Ryoma?" Subaki guesses.

"Yes, it is." He nods. "Azama, make sure Selkie remains stable. I'll pick out a group to prepare a strike team, the remainder will remain here."

* * *

With a speed that can only be matched by another Kitsune who has mastered the Nine-Tails form, Kaden sprints along the ground, weaving through the area and even managing to work around any tree or root that comes along his path. All the while, he is moving at such a speed that most people would only see an white blur… and maybe his Foxfire orbs if they could really focus. Kaden normally doesn't approve of excessive violence, but he's willing to make an exception this time.

That bloodthirsty woman was laughing like a child after she sliced into Selkie and… he wasn't joking what he told Lupus's human family… that insane woman was actually getting sexually excited from it.

Picking up on the scent trail, he continues to…

Stop in place. A sudden uncertainty hits him as he realizes  **exactly**  where she's headed. Three humans, two horses, heading towards the hamlet he and Selkie picked out… before Lupus brought her pack with her.

He said he wouldn't get involved with those humans.

But she tried to kill Selkie!

They're after that one pack, if he walks, neither he or Selkie will probably be bothered with again.

...But he still considers Lupus a friend, all things considered.

…

Lupus is willing to make amends with the Kitsunes. It was truly only an unfortunate set of events that  **forced**  the pack into Kaden's previous hamlet. Besides, Lupus's family is willingly taking care of Selkie, despite Kaden literally charging in.

And Kaden never lets a debt go unpaid. "Hold on, I'm on my way…" He restarts his run and hits his top speed within seconds, even with the nearby trees. A mastered Nine-Tails is unmatched in speed and agility. In the near distance he can hear the sound of fighting and that already oh-so distinct  **laughter**. "Foxfire… replicate." He growls, causing the three bright blue orbs hovering around him to land on the ground and form into… copies of him. A unique skill for a Nine-Tails, and most are unable to tell the copy from the original. The difference?

It's all in the fur. Copies are not as… vivid. They look just a bit more bland when compared to the original.

"Hee, hee… die, die, die!" One second, the insane woman is slashing into a Wolfskin, the next second one of Kaden's copies rips into her horse's neck, the second leaps to her lance-wielding arm and snaps down with enough momentum to crack it, the third tackles her off of the now dead horse, and the original pins her to the ground.

All of this happened in the span of about three seconds.

"Spread." He commands his copies as he stares the still-giggling woman down.

"Oh… I recognize you… I think."

Not wanting to spare a chance with her, he move to snap down on her neck, only to jump back as a sword slices through the air he was just at. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that." A man tells Kaden.

"...Ka-da?" Lupus asks in her dragon form fighting… some other man on a horse, before suffering a terrible wound on her side.

"Focus!" Keaty growls as he attempts to slam a fist onto that same man.

"Two on him, one with me." Kaden quietly states. "Let's go." He sprints forward, but without the added distance like before, he's unable to reach that 'blur' point, cutting off one of his best chances at killing anything quickly.

"Lemme at him! I wanna make him  **bleed**!" She wields the dreaded Beast Killer. Focus, just focus, he can dodge just fine. Kaden barrels to the right as one other copy slams into the woman. "Ooo, there's more!" She giggles as the copy leaves and the original has already pivoted to swipe at her.

"Peri!" The man without a horse shouts. "Get…"

"Kill." Kaden growls, then jumps back as another copy leaps from on high and clamps its jaw around her neck.

Drip, drop… crunch.

"L-Lord X…"

"Damn… retreat!" 'Lord Xander' rears his horse and swoops up Laslow with a rather impressive show of 'human' strength.

"Foxfire, return." Kaden huffs as he collapses, too long… his copies were out for too long, he's spent.

"Ka-da?" Lupus, back in her human form, touches his fur. "You… returned?"

"She tried to kill Selkie, I…" Kaden starts.

"Ka-da…" Keaty states and Kaden tenses. It doesn't need to be spoken...

It doesn't change the fact that Kaden crossed the boundary and entered the now-Wolfskin's den.

"I know."

"Keaty, please, he's…" Lupus starts, before she hisses in pain and doubles over… whatever cut she suffered is causing a serious bleed to go on. Hina, without saying a word, pulls out a Festal off of her back and starts healing Lupus.

"And how many more times am I going to spare someone just because you asked?" Keaty cuts her off.

"There's also no need to just kill because of bad blood, Keaty." Hina intervenes. "What will killing Ka-da get you? Satisfaction that an 'enemy Kitsune' is dead? How long will that last?  **Revenge**  is an empty path to follow… one isn't going to be enough, you're just going to end up wanting to kill more and more until there's none left, and even then you will remain 'unfulfilled'." This woman, this female is… standing face to face with Keaty. "He  **just**  saved us!"

And she doesn't even flinch at the fact that he's in his Wolfsegger form right now.

"I've made my choice…" Kaden speaks, "I didn't come to just kill that woman… I also came because it's only right." He takes a breath, "She is a threat to anyone, she needed to be killed."

Keaty shifts back into his human form. "Ka-da." Keaty starts.

"I understand…"

"Leave." Kaden startles and tilts his head, "Don't get me wrong, just  **seeing**  a Kitsune is enough to make want to rip you apart, there's the part of me that  **wants**  you to bleed out by my own claws, but… things are changing. You and Silky could have killed us last time… we were weakened and you both were strong, but you spared us. And now you've turned around and killed a threat to us…"

"Keaty!" Lupus exclaims.

"So, just leave. If you really want to help, then do what I had Lupus's human family do...out of my boundaries. When these 'Nohrians' are slaughtered, when this war is over, then…  **then**  I'll consider talking about the future." Keaty finishes, "Hina, heal who you can. Dadaan, scouting party. Lupus, Vella, lookouts."

Lupus shares one smile with Kaden before walking off with Vella. Hina gives him an approving nod, and… even 'Dadaan' seems to approve of Kaden's actions. "Keaty. Good hunting." Is all Kaden said before he dashes off.

Keaty… Keaty. Does Lupus really have  **that**  much of an effect on him? It confused Kaden enough that Hina was there, but… to hear that Keaty also spared Lupus's family, and now Keaty just let Kaden walk.

…

Kaden shakes his head, no, right now he has to focus on making sure Selkie is properly taken care of, then… he'll help out Lupus's human family, then… Well, he'll figure that out when he gets that far. Still, one thing is for certain, and he agrees with Keaty on this.

Things are changing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leo… seriously. What teh flook are you planning? You went from an initial threat, to maaaaybe being a 'good cop', to looking after her well-being, and now you gave her a piece of information that is clearly not public. You… don't have a, y'know.
> 
> Crush on her? Better watch it there, 'Prince'...
> 
> Honestly, how did Lupus 'lose' the curse? Or maybe it's just gone 'dormant'? Well, all I can say for certain is that events and what is being told is not lining up.
> 
> Alright, gotta admit something here, too… I was going to end on Lupus's bit, that, for once, it would end with a more 'goofy' piece. Lupus going into heat and can get periods? Then, well... actually, you all can thank Consort for kicking off a set of ideas, and I knew... I knew I had to add more.
> 
> Oh, so first death... Peri! Such a shame, but... hey. At least y'all got to see Kaden when he is ready to kill. So, how about that 'Foxfire' bit? I think that's gonna be the canon of this fic. Those sphere near the Nine-Tails are called 'Foxfire' and a Nine-Tails can sort of... cast spells with them. Yeah.
> 
> Lastly…
> 
> I was not expecting this to go on as long as it is. I didn't think I would be getting this into the war. I thought I was just gonna glance over the war every now and then, but…
> 
> I like this the way it is now, versus what I had originally imagined.


	36. A Looming Scheme

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to keep things light this chapter, I really wanted to give a break from all of the more intense things. Did things go as planned? Uh… maybe? I’m not too sure. Hana’s came out on the low end well enough, Sakura’s… not so much. Hinoka gets kinda tense, and the last one is rather emotionally thick.
> 
> So, I guess not. Oh well, maybe next time.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

The first thing Hana heard as she was rudely brought out of her slumber is the sound of the call to arms. “Now?!” She scowls as she jumps out of bed, grabs her katana… then keels over as the sudden and intense pain ignites her chest. “Ngh…” It’s so intense that she disregards any sense of decency and pulls up her shirt. Scarred, bumps…

Some metal shards still remain, but she can barely even see the tips of them, as embedded in her skin as they are.

So, she was in a position where removing them meant death? Hana traces the scars once more, before shaking her head, pulling her shirt back down, and heading out. She can still move, she can still fight.

The base camp is being assaulted from a number of points. But, it’s not an overwhelming number, more like a single platoon was split up to start the attack from different directions. Hana goes for a lone axe wielder, side stepping a swing and delivering a strike of her own, though her attack lands.

It didn’t cut as much as she hoped.

The Nohrian, noticing that his opponent is lacking, starts to trade defense for offense, and due to Hana’s state, is forced to remain on the defensive. Too much pain, she simply isn’t fit for combat right now.

Act first and think later… this is something she  **needs**  to drop!

“Die, you little…” He gurgles up blood instead as Subaki swoops in and slashes his back.

“Hana? What  **are**  you doing out here?!” He… rightfully chides her. “Gods, nevermind that. If you can’t keep yourself still, make sure there’s someone beside you. I need to…” He rears his Pegasus back as another, much larger axe swishes through the air.

“Hello,  **darling** .” None other than Princess Camilla dives in.

“Se…” Hana starts, but is forced back as Camilla slams her pommel towards her.

“I’m afraid the archers are either dead or occupied.” She smiles.

“Hana, go…” Subaki is cut off when Camilla swings her axe his way. Still, he didn’t need to finish to know what he was going to say. Hana nods and runs off… burning chest pain and all. Around her, the Hoshidan soldiers seem to be pushing back the Nohrians quite well. Is the weakened barrier keeping them from fighting full strength?

“Setsuna!” Hana calls out.

An arrow soars out of a tent and nails a Nohrian in the throat. “I’m here…” She doesn’t seem to have suffered any hits. “This feels… too easy.” Setsuna frowns.

“I agree.” Hana nods, taking position beside the air-headed archer.

Though she sure can’t deny her skill… as Setsuna snipes a Nohrian from roughly halfway across the camp. “There aren’t a lot.”

“They’re limited by the remaining barrier.” Kagero appears. “Perhaps they thought sending a Princess and her retainers would be enough.” She sighs. “I can’t shake the feeling that this isn’t right…” Without wasting a second, she vanishes again… probably towards Lord Ryoma.

More death cries sound out… just Nohrians. “We need to stay alert.” Hana concludes. “Even after this battle is over, we need to make sure nothing’s gonna happen.” Setsuna remains silent.

Nothing about this ‘attack’ seems right.

* * *

Princess Sakura could slowly feel at least some of her energy coming back. It isn’t much, but she is doing more than just sleeping. She wonders how the rest of her family is doing… and the pack Corrin is in. She hopes they’re alright.

She also truly hopes Corrin isn’t blaming herself.

Sakura stands up and stretches, removing the remaining amount of sleep from her body. “ **What do you mean** !?” She squeals as a voice echoes all the way into her cell. “ **Answer me** !” Leo? Is that Prince Leo? Any future yelling has slowly been toned down.

What could have gotten Prince Leo so angry?

Sakura hears the door open, and she can pick up clearly angered, but controlled footsteps. “Pr-prince Leo?” Sakura asks.

And sure enough, none other than the wielder of the Brynhildr walks up. “My apologies, Princess Sakura.” He takes a breath, forcing himself calm.

“Wh-what’s wrong?” Tick tock, then a creak as Prince Leo opens the gate, and sits down on her ‘cot’.

“I’m sorry.” He simply states.

“F-for?”

“For not protecting you.”

Wait, what? “Um…?”

“Or, more accurately, I won’t be able to oversee your captivity any longer.” He leans back. “Princess Camilla has lead an assault on the Hoshidan base camp.”

Sakura’s face pales, “ **What** ?! Is… is… is…?”

“Princess Camilla has been captured.”

But… if… Prince Leo is telling her this, then… it’s public knowledge, right? “But, what does h-have to do w-with you b-being unable to… watch over me?”

“I’ve been reassigned for the offensive, which Princess Camilla was previously leading.” Prince Leo sighs.

“And… who will…?”

He remains silent as the door opens once more. “You’ve had your time, Prince Leo.” Sakura’s breath catches.

Iago.

“I understand.” Prince Leo rises. “I need to make my leave now… goodbye, Princess Sakura.” He walks with a controlled anger.

And Iago walks in. Sakura instantly feels chill bumps on her body. “Princess Sakura…” He grins.

“Iago.” Is all she replies with.

“There are going to be a few changes in store now, Princess Sakura.” He steps closer, she steps back. “First will be these… ‘accommodations’.” Iago walks over to her thin light-pink sheet and pillow. “Fire.” Then ignites them. “You are a prisoner, Sakura… it’s about time you are treated as such.” He takes out some sort of syringe, filled with a sickly-blue liquid. She could only squeal as she moves back, whatever is in that vial is… wrong. “Thankfully, your muscles have already suffered enough atrophy to prevent you firing shots, but…”

“G-Get back!”

“Have you ever pushed yourself magically so far that it physically pains you?” Sakura unconsciously nods, “Well, this toxin is designed to replicate that feeling.” He  **chuckles** , “Oh, but there’s more… it will also  **burn**  the majority of your magic out of you.” Fear shows and he only laughs. “Oh yes, you won’t just be physically weak, but I am going to make sure you can’t cast a single spell, either.”

Sakura whimpers as she back into the wall, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Iago walks closer, the needle drawing ever closer. “Pl-please, d-don’t…”

“Oh, I will… and I will take great satisfaction from this. Now.  **Hold still** .” The needle enters her, she screams and…

Nothing.

* * *

Princess Hinoka brushes her Pegasus as she awaits for the next thing to happen. With less stuff around means less work to keep things working as intended. No stables, no groundwork, it seems almost… barren here. Even with those fruit trees. She does know that her feet are finally starting to hurt a bit, as without proper repairs, her boots have been one of the first things to fail.

And there Corrin is, running around without any foot protection at all. Corrin’s mood has almost turned around since that curse has apparently vanished, but Hinoka can still tell the damage that has been done… the knowledge that it was her body that nearly killed Sakura. At least that, without the curse on her, she’s willing to get close again.

Being able to get close means that Corrin has resumed her… ‘sniffing’. Which is what she’s doing right now, of course… while Hinoka is trying to brush her Pegasus, and if that summons a conga-line-ish effect, Vella is sniffing Corrin.

There are some things Hinoka will never get used to.

…

She also wonders how much was really at stake when her big brother declared the duel. Was he really just expecting Keaty to just kill him? Well, Hinoka honestly wasn’t expecting Keaty to declare that she’s staying in the pack, or… well…

“What’s wrong, Hina?” Corrin asks as she shivers, her face burning red. “Your scent is getting stronger again.”

“...Hina’s excited.” Vella states.

“Huh, about what?” Why… why is she so ignorant on these matters? She  **knows**  about mating!

“Little sister…” Hinoka sighs. “Keaty told me that, after the war, he will… ‘claim’ me.”

“Oh… so that’s why you were all red?” Corrin asks.

“...brother is taking a human as a mate?” Vella is next. “Hmph, and what do you offer that Lupus can’t?”

“Sister!” Corrin squeals. “H-H-He’s my brother!”

“Can Hina shapeshift? Can Hina stand her ground alone like you can?” Vella backs up… Corrin backs up. “You are so much better than her!”

“Well… it’s his choice, anyway.” Corrin looks away.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll also have you, too… and mate with you more.” Vella ‘comforts’ her.

“Oh, just shush. I don’t wanna hear about that.” Corrin huffs. “Besides, you should worry about your own heat.”

“We’ve already been over this.” Vella shrugs off the concern.

“How are you two so… calm about this?” Hinoka asks, “We’re talking about a male just… doing what he wants with a female. That’s wrong.”

“He’s the alpha.” The two respond in unison.

“The pack needs stronger pups…” Corrin.

“So the alpha is the one who gets to mate with the bitches.” Vella. “What’s wrong with that? Would you rather have weak pups?”

“Th-that’s not the point! I mean he’s… ugh. This is just a human thing, apparently.” She huffs. “It’s immoral and just  **wrong**  for the other person to have no say in whether or not to have… intimate relations.”

“Sister?” Vella looks at Corrin.

“If Keaty chose me, then I’d agree.” Corrin just shrugs.

“You  **just**  said that…”

“Hina, you don’t understand. We  **can’t**  be picky. It’s not a question of it’s ‘right or wrong’ it is about if the offspring will be strong enough to overcome the next generation of struggles. If it was like how humans want it, then the Wolfskin and Kitsune wouldn’t have made it as far as they did. Yes, I see Keaty as a brother, and I don’t want to because of that, but… if Keaty believes me to be worthy of mating, if the pups I bear are worth the effort of raising, then I’ll mate.”

“...But, you don’t  **want**  to.”

“What I want is the best for the pack.”

“And what about  **you** ? What does my little sister want?” A pause follows…

“I… don’t know.” She takes a breath, “Well, I know I love Seta, and I would love to be with her again, but that would only cause the pack…”

“No, stop.” Hinoka interrupts. “Drop it. Don’t include the pack in your reasoning.”

“I want to be with Seta again, but…” Corrin’s eyes dart around and she can see the conflict behind her eyes… is ‘the pack’ really the only thing keeping Corrin from Setsuna? “I need to go.” She quickly withdraws.

“...humans.” Vella scoffs as she leaves.

Hinoka’s Pegasus whimpers and she resumes brushing her mount. “You’re right, I don’t understand, but I also don’t think I want to understand… I know enough.”

* * *

Takumi, second and the younger prince of Hoshido, stands in the training yard… more or less willing the time away with repeated bullseyes. He doesn't like this… feeling, being right at the edge of war, but just short enough for it to be not considered a war.

As long as Mother's barrier stands, there won't be a true war.

Still, the feeling of a looming war is nothing compared to the feeling of a near empty castle. Yes, there are servants and soldiers aplenty, but the only family here right now is his mother.

'Lupus' went back to 'the pack'. Hinoka ended up following Corrin… then she came by and took Sakura. Finally, Ryoma has left for the frontal defensive.

Three of his siblings are in a pack of wolves.

"Tch…" He scoffs as he readies another arrow, "Should've just listened to the rumors, I guess… she was never Corrin to begin with…" A bullseye is accompanied with a sigh, “I wanted to believe, but… I’m just going to have to face the fact, and the fact is that…” Yet another bullseye. “Corrin is dead.”

“Lord Takumi!” Some servant announces. “Her Highness has requested your immediate presence in the war room.”

“Hm? Alright, I’ll be there.” Placing the training bow and arrows aside, he makes his way towards the war room. “Wonder what mother wants? I’m no good at actual tactics… archery positioning, maybe?” He wonders out-loud. “I doubt I’m being sent out.” With an efficiency that can only be gained from actually living in the castle for a good chunk of his life, Takumi quickly locates and enters the war room. “Hello, mother.” He smiles…

And is greeted with anything but happiness. The instant he feels this tenseness is the second his mood drops. The first thing he assumes is that mother is in a position to drop the barrier. “Hello, son.” It also doesn’t help that she’s the only other one in here.

“You called for me, mother? I’ll… advise what I can.”

Tears… mother is… crying? “If only it were so easily resolved.”

Distressed by her sudden sorrow, Takumi quickly rounds the table and stands aside… and he notices a crunched up report in her hand… not crunched like she was discarding it, but because whatever message in there set off her emotions. Fear? “Have the Nohrians destroyed too many conduits?”

“I would actually prefer that to be the case.” Remaining vague… but, she would rather burden excessive magical stress? So, it’s worse than that.

There’s only one topic that could potentially be worse, “What of our family?”

And there it is, her resolve breaks. “I… a r-report… came in.” She breathes, “It’s from my eldest.”

“And what did big brother have to say?”

She looks at the paper, but shakes her head, probably deciding it’s best if she says it herself. “As you know, all three of my daughters are residing in the pack that Corrin was raised in.” Takumi holds back a scoff, “However, King Garon has a vendetta against them for taking Corrin from him, and as such, they’ve been bearing the brunt of elite forces from Nohr.” She takes another breath, steeling herself, “There have been a number of tragic happenings…”

“What’s happened to…”

He was silenced by a wave of her hand. “Please, son. I understand your need to know, but let me get to it. Now, Ryoma was told all of what happened in the pack through Subaki. The Wolfskin have been assaulted by Prince Leo and Princess Camilla.” Takumi had to remind himself to  **not**  speak out yet, “Princess Camilla is the reason why Sakura had to be brought out… apparently her wyvern had infected Vella with rabies. During Prince Leo’s attack, Corrin was both struck by his Brynhildr and a curse.” A fresh set of tears follows. “There have also been the accounts of Ryoma challenging Keaty to a duel, Hana nearly getting herself killed by Keaty.” She pauses.

“Gods, all of this? In just a few days?” Yet, his gut tells him this isn’t the end of the news. “Why did big brother declare a duel?”

“Hana had provoked Keaty for… information and in order to make sure every left safely, he declared a duel.”

“Heh, bet he won, too.”

“Unarmed.” She adds.

“...” Takumi hesitates, “Alright, I’m sure he…”

“Yielded.” She cuts him off. “Ryoma yielded when he was in a position to where if he tried to continue he would have been crushed.”

“...But, they’re safe, right?” Even if he lost?

“Keaty let them walk…” She takes a breath, “In exchange for keeping… Princess Hinoka.”

“ **Wh-what** ?!” He shouts, “Th… they have no right!”

Mother sighs and rubs her forehead, “I’m afraid that is far more subdued to the other issue.”

“A pack of wolves has stolen big sister, and you’re saying there is worse?!”

“That curse Corrin was inflicted with… a sort of… long-distance mind control.” A third set of tears, “According to Subaki, who was told by Hinoka, Corrin became unreasonably aggressive in a short period of time, and… somehow her arm turned into a lance and she… gods. Corrin… she… st-stabbed Sakura, my youngest  **almost**  died and…” Takumi was currently left speechless, “Sakura was in critical condition, moving her would have been a death sentence and… the Nohrians were approaching. She… Sakura was… left b-behind. Takumi… Sakura’s been captured by the Nohrians.”

…

Sakura was almost… killed by Corrin and, they left her and… now she’s been… captured? “How could they…?!”

“Son, they had no other reasonable choice.”

“They could’ve…”

“Son.” She repeats, much more sternly, “My youngest was near death, a slight mishap would’ve had her killed. Attempting to fight off the Nohrians would have put her in just as much risk. I hate the idea of leaving her behind, but it was the best of the worst options. Gods… we’re not even in the heat of war and there are already such tough decisions being made.”

“Alright… what’s next, then?” He asks, wanting to divert the topic.

“I’ve already sent word to have our army at the ready. I’m afraid it won’t be too much longer.”

War’s coming soon, and Hoshido has already had their youngest princess captured… after being forced to be left behind from being nearly killed by the middle ‘princess’, who really isn’t much more than an animal. Takumi resolves, the next time he meets ‘Corrin’...

He’s getting answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Camilla had led a failed assault onto the Hoshidan base camp, but if there were really that few… was it meant to be a failure to begin with? But, then why would she be tasked with it in the first place? Oh, how things don’t add up… yet. Well, whatever the plan was, Prince Leo wasn’t aware of it, and now he’s tasked with the offensive…
> 
> Leaving poor Sakura with Iago. Oh, poor Sakura indeed, since the first thing Iago does is torture her.
> 
> Surely if King Garon wanted Leo on the offensive, then he would just order it, right? So why is this roundabout way being made?
> 
> Next is… Hinoka. Hey, at least we know why Keaton kept Hinoka. He’s going to ‘claim’ her after the war ends. Surely that’s crossing the line, right? Keaton is going to learn that there are extra steps when it comes to humans. Something Corrin still can’t seem to grasp. Whatever ‘human’ she has gained during her time with her family seems to have almost already left her, hence why she’s so confused to Hinoka’s near distress.
> 
> And, that leaves… Takumi. I wanted to do someone else for castle updates, but when I thought about it, it would have either been Takumi or Mikoto when taking the reports into account. Besides, it allows me to get some of Takumi’s almost signature spite in. At least it isn’t because of magic, but instead due to a combination of what Corrin has done, causing his other sisters to leave in the first place and partially due to the rumors about Corrin not being the real Corrin.
> 
> Let’s just hope his ‘getting answers’ doesn’t include aiming his Fujin Yumi at her.
> 
> I was going to add a scene with Lupus’s PoV… but then I decided against it. Making this the first chapter without Lupus’s/Corrin’s PoV!


	37. All as Planned, Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost, whew… I'm glad the, uh, 'mating' topic during Hinoka's scene last chapter didn't cause an uproar. It means I have gotten off the differences between the pack and humans defined well enough, as I was honestly kinda worried bringing up the thought of non consensual sexual intercourse would have been called out more. Now then!
> 
> Allow me to bring in a thought for the overall Sakura captivity and Leo's potentially changing morales. Taking the last chapter into account…
> 
> Sakura isn't in a completely healthy state, her senses have probably dulled from the constant confinement and lack of the recommended amount of nutrients… however, she could clearly hear Leo when he yelled at the top of his lungs from her cell while the prison door was closed.
> 
> Leo arrives, apologies for being unable to protect, is then forced to leave by Iago. Leo would be healthy, his status as second eldest Prince surely grants him access to enough nutrients, he makes his way out. Sakura, being female and rather young, would obviously let out an extremely high pitch scream. So, with all of that said, let me ask you this…
> 
> Do you really think Leo was out of earshot when Sakura screamed?
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Kagero closes her eyes and sighs, she was assigned the task of interrogating Princess Camilla and her retainers. She understands the necessity of it, but that doesn't mean she likes the idea of it. However, before she can even start with that, there comes the 'basics'... First off, the 'attack' was noticeably simple to end, which she comes to her first assumption.

That Princess Camilla was meant to be caught.

She nods at the prison guards, who let her through without a single word. One, two, three… One of Camilla's retainers, a red-head twin-tail scowling face greets her… Selena, if she recalls correctly. The second is a seemingly emotionless axe-wielder named… Beruka? She  **was**  a Wyvern Rider, before one of the Wolfskin killed her mount. Last is Princess Camilla herself, who has had her undead Wyvern executed.

If Kagero traced things back, then Camilla's wyvern is the reason Princess Sakura has been kidnapped in the first place. If her undead wyvern didn't infect Vella with rabies, then Lady Sakura wouldn't have been brought over… which would mean she would still be safe.

All three regard Kagero with silence, and the Ninja decides with Selena first. Beruka just  **looks**  like she's going to be tough to crack and Lady Camilla undoubtedly will have tight lips herself, so… that leaves the only one showing any large amount of any emotion. But, before Kagero can even go through with that, first things first…

"Stand still." She orders as she pats Selena down.

"H-Hey! Get off me! Pervert!" Right as she said that, Kagero felt a 'bump' near her right ankle.

"Dagger." She simply comments as she unsheathes the hidden weapon, before resuming her search. "Clear."

"Hmph." Emotional indeed, Kagero has a good feeling.

"Your battle was lost from the start." Kagero states and Selena seemed ready to snap back, but managed to keep her mouth shut. "Few numbers, weakly trained, yet you still arrived. What ploy is in effect?"

"There's no 'ploy', fool." She spits out.

"You'd so quickly throw your life away?"

"I  **let**  you guys win this one." She crossed her arms. "If I had been trying, then you would have never gotten me down."

"So, your dedication to protect your liege is mandated by if you  **want**  to try?"

"Huh? No way! I'm always…"

"And what if it was your 'lack of trying' that has gotten Lady Camilla and Beruka killed?" A pause, "Unless, of course… getting imprisoned was part of a greater plan?"

" **I told you**! There is no greater plan! We were…"

"Yes?" Kagero smirks.

"Hmph." She shuts her mouth.

"Then I'll let you think your words over." Kagero steps back and out of the cell, before moving on to Beruka, who will probably be the 'iron wall' of the three.

"..." She  **kicks**  two hidden daggers out of her boots, then shakes out one, two, three… four daggers from her sleeves. All of this was done while she is shackled.

"I'm still going to search you." Kagero flatly states as she does just that.

"..."

Nothing. There has to be something else… Kagero removes her gauntlets and boots and… "There it is." A small vial filled with a sickly green liquid came out of one of her gauntlets. A lethal dose of a highly potent toxin, if she is to assume, to be used upon capture… perhaps her duty to Lady Camilla has prevented her from using it right now? "Your mission failed." Kagero makes an intentional mistake.

"..."

"You do realize there's no need for either you or Selena to remain alive, correct?"

"..." Nothing, not even the slightest trace of fear, remorse… or anything! Sure, Ninjas are trained to seem without emotion, but even the most skilled ones can't completely remove all of it…

Beruka literally has no emotion present. It's like she's been raised from the dead. "I'll come back for you." Kagero concludes as she leaves her cell… making a note to have Beruka get the most 'intense' of the treatments. "Princess Camilla." Despite her current imprisonment, Kagero still respects her title as she enters the third and last.

"Hello, dear." She smiles. "I assume you want to see what I have to offer, first?"

"..." Kagero is the one without an actual response this time as she goes through the woman's garments.

Nothing?

Camilla smiles at her, "All I had on me was my axe, darling."

Another search over, going through boots and gauntlets and… nothing. Now slightly frustrated, Kagero moves on, "You assaulted with a severe disadvantage."

Her smile turns into a frown, "That's not my fault…"

"You are a Princess, surely you hold more value in your own worth."

"Hm, well…" She is quite willing to talk, which only serves to set off even more red flags for Kagero, "Let me put it this way… you can give your best for everything, but… you can't take good care of your body with sticks and leaves, can you?" Kagero thinks it over. So, Princess Camilla and her forces  **were trying**  their best… but what would be the 'sticks and leaves'? Their weapons and armor were certainly no waste, then… "Oh, it seems you figured it out."

"If you expect me to believe such an outlandish reason…"

"I did as I was ordered, as did the scout. I  **was told**  that the High Prince was critically injured, that the Hoshidan base camp was weakened, but that wasn't the case, was it? Nor any talk of a Nine-tails working with the army." She leans back, "Believe what you will, but that is what I know."

Kagero narrows her eyes, before shaking her head and taking a step back. "I'll let you think on your near future carefully, Lady Camilla." And out she goes.

One who regarded her with complete silence, one who  **almost**  let something go, and one who is 'admitting ignorance'. Something isn't adding up, as there's no way Nohr would just send a Princess with so little preparation, or with unreliable scouting information. Walking out of the cells, she briefly stops right outside, "What's your conclusion?"

"Can't be too sure without getting closer, but… I didn't pick up any deception." Ka-da shrugs. "Nothing obvious anyway… sorry."

"It's alright, I might have been asking for too much." She half-bows. "Thank you for your cooperation, Ka-da."

"Not a problem, I'm glad to help… especially since you guys saved Selkie," but then he grimaces, "I understand that is what Lupus calls me, but could you please call me Kaden?"

"Of course, Kaden." She offers an apologetic smile. "You are an ally of Hoshido, if there is anything you need, please, don't be concerned to ask. We're here for each other…" A short pause, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to report this information to my liege."

"...Same. I'm here to help." Kaden adds, if just a bit too late, as she's already out of earshot. "Besides, I don't think I can ever properly repay saving Selkie's life."

* * *

Lupus yawns as she gets up, slightly sore from her latest playtime with Dadaan. At least she can say she's improving. Is she on the level of the other Wolfskin? No, probably not, but she is far better than she was… and she  **knows**  that because Dadaan isn't just guarding, he's fighting back. "Wonder why Hina is so… upset?" She wonders aloud as she starts stretching…

Whatever clothes she had is starting to fall apart. There has been no time to get more, nor are there any caravans to raid. Once this set is gone, then that's it. A few of the Wolfskin are already striding around in full glory… something that only bothers Hina.

"Mmm, sister…" Vella gives Lupus a tight hug, her tail wagging as she takes in her scent.

"Sister." Lupus eagerly returns the hug… before bringing her own tail out, just to wag it, except that her tail is so long that it is hitting one of the cave walls. "About Hina…"

"I don't wanna talk about her." Lupus can pick up irritation in her voice. "Why would Keaty choose…  **her**?"

"It's his choice…"

"She is only a human." Vella cuts her off. "If she's so worked up about it, then she should just leave."

"Well, I think we should at least  **try**  to understand why." Lupus fades her tail out and pulls back, determined. "I… I still want peace, and we're not going to get that if we keep pushing them away!"

She huffs, " **You**  want peace, I just want to be with you." Oh, here we go again…

"You know what? Nevermind, I'm gonna talk to Hina." She turns and only manages a few steps before Vella snags her by the arm.

"Let her leave." She  **growls**.

"No." Lupus pulls away again. "Vella, I love you. I don't want anyone else to ever replace you, but I'm also not going to lose Hina, because  **you and only you refuse to change**! Keaty has changed, Dadaan has changed, the pack has changed, but  **you are** the  **only one**  who is staying the same!" The air between the two sisters starts to heat up. "I'm going to see Hina." Lupus resumes walking…

"She will…" Vella takes a step and stops as Lupus turns around and forms her lance, piercing the space between Vella's legs and the ground.

"I'm. Going. To. See. Hina." She repeats before dismissing the lance and all but storms out. Once she was out of the cave, she looks over her arm… the lance that almost killed Saku. A thought passes by, if she can form a lance and her dragon's tail, then what else can she do? Words and images flow through her mind until one of them settles… her maw, her dragon's mouth. Her other arm changes to suit a much larger version of it… teeth and all. "Huh." Open, snap, open, snap.

Lupus resolves to figure out what all else she can form… later. Right now, Hina.

* * *

Hinoka looks at her armor, face twisted with concern as she realizes that some of it is going to have to be discarded. No proper forge means no repairing, and even something as simple as dirt and debris can end up ruining gear. The cloth portions have been shredded from random tree limbs and hitting the ground. Metal is starting to rust and even being scratched and torn into. So, off goes the metallic reinforcements to her chest guard and a few of her joint guards. Her naginata is becoming dangerously close to being discarded…

Her only weapon.

Hinoka groans before rising. It doesn't matter, she  **will**  talk to Keaty and get some sort of trade going. Without her weapons and armor, she might as well do nothing… and she hates that feeling of helplessness. Sticking with just the remaining cloth portions, which, "Gods…" Her face starts burning as she realizes that there isn't enough to properly cover her own body with. "Nope, don't think about it… they won't care, so I shouldn't let it bother me…" She tells herself as she leaves her cave.

She has never wanted an actual bed so bad before in her life…

A fact that becomes very apparent as her muscles protest with an acute soreness. She walks towards Keaty, feeling somewhat self-conscious of how she can  **feel**  the very sides of her breasts being struck with the wind. She is also thanking the gods that the portion of her gear around her… upper thighs hasn't seen much wear and tear. Hinoka frankly probably wouldn't even leave the cave without her… 'core' having proper concealment.

She has no idea how the other female Wolfskin can walk around without… undergarments.

Shaking her head, she picks up her pace, wanting to free her mind of any of the more embarrassing thoughts. "Hey, uh… Keaty?" She reaches out.

And, of course, he is  **not**  even slightly bothered by her relative nudeness. "Yes?"

"I'm gonna need some more armor and weapons." She gets straight to the point. "I won't be able to…"

"Go ahead."

"You need to understand that…" She pauses as her counter-argument dies on her tongue, "Wait, really? That's it?"

He shrugs, "Yeah."

"...But it involves more, uh… 'human' interaction."

"Having you fight without your weapon is having a Wolfskin go without shifting. I'm not cruel, Hina, I understand that you need more things to fight well. Just… keep the trip short."

"Oh, well… thank you." Hinoka smiles.

"Hmph." He takes a step and…

"I… also wanted to talk about something else." He stops, turns, and raises an eyebrow. "It's about why I'm so against you just… y'know. After the war."

"Mating with you?" He asks.

"Yeah." She nods.

"The pack needs strong pups, Hina, and I think yours will be worth raising." Almost word for word on what Corrin said.

"It's not that, it's… gods…" Hinoka sighs, "Keaty, there are… standards in human society. Boundaries in place, things that are 'right' and 'wrong'..." She grits her teeth. "Keaty, there's a specific term that humans have for a… situation where one person… forces themselves… o-onto another."

"Hina, I can't say I'll 'get' what you're saying, but I understand how much Lupus wants humans and Wolfskin together. I understand how much this means to her… I can say that I will at least try to understand why this is bothering you so much."

"Keaty…" Hinoka breathes, before nodding. "It's a highly immoral crime c-called… rape."

Keaty remains stoic… and sure enough, he still doesn't seem to understand why it's bothering her. "So… a male can't just… mate with a human?" He slowly asks.

"Any human, it doesn't matter who starts it. If both sides don't agree to it, then it's wrong to continue.  **That**  is called consent."

"...Alright?" He tilts his head. "Never heard of it." Of course not. "So, if I wanted to mate with you, but you don't  **want**  to… then it's wrong? What if you miss your heat?"

Gods… "Keaty, humans don't go into heat."

"Then what was that thing you were talking about Lupus with?"

"A 'cycle', with that part of it being called a period." Keaty gives her a flat stare and Hinoka sighs. "Hey, maybe we should just resume this talk later? I don't wanna push too much on you at once."

"...alright." He shrugs, "Just tell me when you're planning on getting your armor and weapons."

He… almost sounds like a concerned parent when he said that. "Okay. Um… have a good day, Keaty."

"Yeah…" He turns and leaves.

Well, that went better than she expected, so now… "Hina!" Corrin calls her out, "I wanted to ask about why you were so bothered when you told me that Keaty wanted to claim you…"

Hinoka closes her eyes, sighs, and nods. "Alright sister." Hinoka takes a deep breath, "Now, the first thing I need to explain is a human thing called consent…"

* * *

Sakura coughs as she slowly opens her eyes. Weak, so weak… she can still feel that  **burn**  from that… toxin Iago injected into her. "Ngh…" She whimpers. Sure, she's magically exhausted herself before… sure, she has participated in physical training until she was too tired to keep going… But to have muscle atrophy in addition to magical exhaustion? "!" She squeals as a sudden burn hits her. She then raises one of her hands, tries to get even a spark of magic out. " **Ahhh** ~!" She screams in pain, as if another dose was being sent into her. She can literally feel the magic being burned out of her again.

She can't even cast spells… a much more painful version of a 'simple' Silence.

"Ah, Princess Sakura is awake, it seems."  **His**  voice echoes into the room. "And it seems the Anti-Magic serum is even better than originally thought." He strides into her cell, "So, it still burns? And if you were to cast another spell…?" He gives her an expectant look.

"Y-you are th-the  **worst**  person ever!" She shouts.

"Oh-ho! You are even harboring some spite?" He smiles. "I want to see it for myself… cast something."

Her face visibly pales, " **No**!"

"You will do as I say, girl." He pauses, "Cast. A. Spell." Sudden determination meets consistent cruelty. "I can do so much worse… trust me, that little toxin was nothing."

Shaking, she raises her other arm, closes her eyes, and snaps her mouth shut… only to bite straight through her lips as the burn returns. " **A-Ahh~**!" Another scream… nothing.

"Perfect." He smiles, before recording her agony on a simple sheet of paper. "Now, you have a visitor today, and you are going to be on your best behavior, understand?"

Her vision blurred simply from pain itself, she slowly nods. Dazed, damaged, hungry, thirsty, so many points of discomfort and pain are hitting her at once. "O-Okay…" She just wants to lie her head back down.

"Aw, so cooperate…" he pauses as a second set of footsteps enter. "Sakura meet your new… personal advisor." Another man walks in, looking no less worse than Iago himself. "Play nice." Iago leaves.

"Hello, Princess Sakura…" The man bows… for what it's worth. "I know you'll enjoy our time together, because I will be learning so much about you. My name is… Zola." He flashes a wicked smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun, dun, dun… the interrogation scene was really… kinda anti-climatic, don't you think? Well, I won't lie… y'all might wanna put some extra faith in what Camilla was telling Kagero. Because the real reason is *blocked behind the spoiler brigade*. Oh, and I suppose Kaden is helping out, too. Remember kids… always repay your debts!
> 
> Ah, welcome back to the PoV collection, Lupus! Even if you didn't really get much important stuff to contribute. At least she discovered she can form a dragon maw out of her other arm… maybe I should give her extra partial-shifting abilities since she isn't using a sword?
> 
> Princess Hinoka… another rather anti-climatic scene, right? There really was no argument for getting her more armor and weapons… and Keaton just kinda… listened to her on the more sensitive subjects. Maybe… maybe he does understand more than he lets on?
> 
> Aaaand Sakura's scene, oh… I can sum this up in two words. Remember Zola?
> 
> See ya next chapter!


	38. Sincere Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Lupus snarls as she dodges a swipe from Dadaan. Step, back, forward, thrust, dodge. She falls into a rhythm as she successfully continues to avoid being slammed by a fist or torn open by his claws. See, normally she wouldn’t be so weak to the brute strength a Wolfskin possesses, but today is different…

Lupus is in her human form.

She has formed a combination of her lance, maw, and even a helmet. She knew the second she donned this set-up that her fighting style had to change. She’s far too vulnerable to get struck by him. One hit could be worse than what Red suffered in his ‘duel’. Side, crouch, thrust, snap… Dadaan howls as her maw rips into his side.

“Ngh…” He steps back, “I yield…” It’s not a matter of how ‘weak’ he currently is, it’s a matter of how severe that wound is. One single snap is all it took to take an entire chunk out of his side… far more than she had anticipated.

“ **Hina** !” Lance, maw, and helmet all fade as Lupus screams for her big sister. “Festal!” A few seconds pass without a single scent or sound of Hina, “ **Hina!** ” Before turning to Dadaan, who has shifted back and, whew… “...!” And she takes a step back as she realizes just how bloody her hand is, the one that was the maw…

_“D-don’t… bl-blame… yourself.”_  Lupus’s other arm is bloodstained, but unlike the maw, which has a literal pool of blood on it, her lance arm is streaked all the way up to her elbow… Saku’s blood.

_“I… no, no, no! I didn’t… Saku…”_  Lupus’s breathing increases… so much blood.

_“She’s a threat to the pack…_ **_kill her_ ** _!”_  The not-Keaty voice commanded.

_“Lupus._ **_Stop_ ** _!”_  Keaty yelled.

_“I…”_

“ **Ow** !” Lupus’s sight wavers as she is  **slammed**  into the ground, Dadaan is looking her over, blood still dripping. “Wh-what?”

“...You didn’t hear yourself screaming?” He asks.

“I was screaming?” She tilts her head, “I remember calling for Hina, but…” A pause.

“G-gods…” Hina arrives, red-faced and holding two Festals. “Wh-what…?” She then stops herself and shakes her head, no time for the ‘human’ questions. The familiar glow of healing covers Dadaan as his wound is closed. “Sister?”

“She’s not wounded… physically.” The Wolfskin speaks up as he steps back, allowing Lupus to get up, “Lupus started screaming… about Saku.”

“Sister?” Hina moves over to Lupus, who is now shaking.

“Get back.” The danger in her eyes return, the fury that should never be released. “Don’t get near me.” Fear. “ **Get back** !” However, instead of listening, Dadaan instead seizes her by the arm that forms into a maw. “Dadaan…” She growls.

“Stop.  **Now** .” He matches her ‘dominance’ with his own. “ **Sit** .”

Of course, this angers Hina, “You can’t just…”

Lupus sits, still visibly angered and bothered mind you, but she still sits. “Yes, she will.” Dadaan speaks, if a moment too late. “She  **will**  listen to me.”

A thought crosses Hina’s mind, “But… you’re not the alpha.”

“That’s correct.” He nods.

“Okay, and…? I thought only the alpha could order Wolfskin around.”

He shrugs, “I have rights.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

“Things change.” At least someone is having some sort of amusement. “Lupus, come… Hina, she’ll be fine.” Dadaan shrugs off her concern.

“My little sister was part of a traumatic event, and it can’t be so easily fixed just by ‘asserting dominance’! She  **needs**  help.” Hina counters.

Dadaan steps forward, until he is face to face with her like Keaty was. “Hina? I’ll protect her.” The air turns serious, “I’ll guard her.”

“She needs something other than physical…”

“In all ways. I may not know how to handle them now, but I will. Just… give me time.” A… different kind of concern lines his eyes, something other than the need to protect one of the pack, “Trust me.” Hina looks from Dadaan to Lupus, who is simply standing beside him… calm, as if she did not just have a mental breakdown.

...Right, even if Dadaan doesn’t understand, Hina thinks she does. “Alright, Dadaan. I’m trusting you with my sister’s well-being.”

All he replies with is a simple nod. “Lupus, with me.” He walks, she walks…

Hina remains idle for a few more moments, before shaking her head with a small smile. She decides to check with Keaty to see if now is a good time to get some more equipment… the sooner, the better.

* * *

Kagero stands idle as she watches her liege pace back and forth. With Lady Hinoka and Lady Lupus still in the pack, and Lady Sakura still captured… Lord Ryoma has started to become increasingly on edge. Of course, it doesn’t help that Princess Camilla was so easily captured. The female Ninja retainer goes over the events again and again, anywhere from between the time they traveled here to the interrogation. Anything and everything she experienced… first-hand, second-hand, it doesn’t matter.

All she knows is that something is off with all of this and… paper rustling as Lord Ryoma sits down and grabs a sheet alongside a pen. “Milord? A report to Her Highness?” Is the only thing she can assume, especially considering that Princess Camilla’s assault was not part of the last one, simply because the last report was sent before then.

He shakes his head… troubled, unfocused. “I’m afraid not, Kagero.”

...Afraid, unfocused, troubled? She runs through the events yet again… it has to be one of the Princesses. But, surely the pack wouldn’t accept… “Milord, please reconsider.”

“Nohr has a Hoshidan Princess. Hoshido has a Nohrian Princess  **and**  her two retainers.” He counters… emotional.

...That’s it. “Lord Ryoma, please listen. I think I figured at least part of it out.”

His grip tightens, “...They have Hoshido’s youngest princess. I’m aware of the risks…”

As he was with dueling Keaty? “Milord, you are playing into their hands. Please, stop and take a step back!”

“They  **have Sakura** !” Too emotional, too blinded. Surely having both Lady Hinoka and Lady Lupus is also taking a heavy toll on him… “I’m not losing all of my family! I’m not going to stand aside and watch each of them leave… or taken away… or get  **stolen** !” Angered, even shouting.

Kagero closes her eyes and sighs… Nohr has been intent on playing with his emotions and past troubles. Lady Lupus chose to remain. Lady Hinoka, at least in Lord Ryoma’s eyes, has been stolen away as Lady ‘Corrin’ has been so long ago. Lady Sakura has been stolen away and is in captivity. What  **can**  she say to calm his mind? So that he doesn’t make this request?

She should have noticed sooner.

“Hey… is this a bad time?” Kaden lets himself in. “Um, sorry…”

“Kaden, correct?” Lord Ryoma instantly stiffens, unwilling to show the same weakness he just displayed. “Did you need something?”

“Uh, yes, Alpha, erm, I mean…” Kaden takes a breath. “You hu… no, wait. You all saved Selkie’s life, and I was trying to figure out how I can repay you all and… I think I figured it out.”

“And that is?” Lord Ryoma asks.

“Let me help you… with finding and saving Saku.” He offers, “A Nine-tails’ speed can’t be matched by anyone or anything. I can scout, I can fight, I can call upon my Foxfire to cast some pretty awesome things, stuff that even the best Mages can’t do.”

“Kaden, we appreciate your thoughtfulness, but I’m not pitting you against an army. Gods only know how many will be at that one base with Princess Sakura.” Lord Ryoma shakes his head.

“Well, that’s just it. I’m not going against the whole army, I’ll only be doing hit and runs. Brief scouting… I won’t put myself at such risk.” Kaden eases the High Prince’s worries. “I promise, no… I swear I can get her back… but, I have to agree with Kagero. Just, don’t, uh… ‘play into their hands’?”

To which she nods, “Milord?”

“This won’t be easy.” He replies.

“...I know.”

“There are so many variables that could…”

“Var...ia...bles?” Kaden echoes.

“Oh, sorry. Chances. There are so many chances that could end up killing you.”

“I understand. I’m aware of the risks, but I’m offering my skill set anyway.” He pauses, “But, if this bothers you too much, then I’ll think of something else.”

Kagero looks at Lord Ryoma, who is in deep thought. “...I appreciate that you are willing to take such a dangerous task on your own without a hint of fear or regret.” He finally starts, “I admire your determination to repay kindness with kindness… But I can’t, with a clear conscious, ask you to go through with this. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m sure you can do this, but… maybe if you were just asking to scout, then I would agree…”

Kaden frowns, but nods, “Alright, it’s not a problem. I’ll… try and think of something else, then. Um, sorry for interrupting.” He steps out without a second thought.

“Milord?” Kagero asks as he resumes…

“I’ll call for you later… dismissed.”

“On your orders, High Prince Ryoma.” With a frown of her own, she steps out. “...Thank you for trying, Kaden.”

“I thought that…” He sighs. “I don’t feel like I’m doing a lot here. Listening to emotions, giving such a near impossible request… are you sure this helps?”

“It’s mental reassurance… trust me, simply offering your help like that has helped ease his burdens some.”

Kaden looks off to the distance, his tail slowly swaying to and fro, “I don’t understand.” He sighs, “Kagero? Maybe there are things I can do for everyone, rather than the entire army at once?”

She slowly nods, “Maybe that would be a better idea.” She then sighs, and stretches, feeling far too overwhelmed with the shear stress of…

“Hey, Kagero? I think I just thought of something.” He smiles.

“Yes, Kaden?”

“Let’s go take a nap!”

She lets out a small laugh, “Kaden, I can’t do that right now, there are…  **Hey** !” For the beast race known for their speed, Kagero was genuinely surprised to be  **lifted up**  with such ease. “Kaden, I’m serious…”

“It won’t even be for an hour, c’mon.” He carries her, despite all the protests. “Trust me, once you feel just how soft  **my**  fur is, you’re gonna fall asleep soooo fast.” Soon enough, her protests die down as she realizes that she literally can’t even slightly overpower Kaden.

“...No more than an hour.” She concedes.

“That’s the spirit!” He gently sets her down next to a tree, shifts into his Nine-Tails form, and curls up around here, “Alright, ready when you are!” Kagero shakes her head with an amused smile, and lies her head down on his chest, to which five of his tails cover her body…

She fell asleep within half a minute with his unrealistically soft fur around her.

* * *

Prince Leo is hunched over the war table, looking over the most recent ‘assault’ that was ‘planned’ by his elder sister, Camilla. He knows something is off… something is wrong. There is no way she would be so easily captured. However, without a ‘convenient’ access to the reports, there’s not much he can be definite on. There is only speculation, and he hates every last hunch he has.

“Tch.” He pushes the ‘map’ away, growing far too irritated with these… ‘reports’. “ **Nothing**  adds up!  **Why**  are the reports I have access to incomplete?!  **Why**  are there proportionally  **less**  reports when compared to before all of this?!” He grits his teeth and steps back. “ **What**  is going on?” A scream soon follows… a scream in his head.

…

Princess Sakura’s scream, from whatever Iago did to her.

He grimaces… she was ‘supposed’ to be a prisoner of war, a ‘source’ of information. He assumed this princess would have been far more… ‘rough’ than the young Princess Elise, but no. Princess Sakura is barely even a spec different… only shy and reserved when compared to Elise’s excitable and bounciness. He initially regarded her kindness as a facade, but no matter how he looks at it, her care is genuine…

He almost had Princess Corrin kill her, he had her shackled, imprisoned, and intimidated her… but all she wanted to do was to help. In his heart, he knew what he was doing was wrong. Princess Sakura is the textbook definition of innocence.

But, he also knew her status as a Princess was the only thing keeping her alive.

He ended up resolving to making her time here as comfortable as he could afford. And… the more time he spent, the more he realized he was faltering. She had an influence on him that nothing else could replicate. He felt it in him, he knew what it was, and it should by all accounts be  **wrong** .

He cares for her.

Which is why he sees Iago in a newfound ray of hate… he made her scream.

He also doesn’t want this war anymore. “Tch.” He scoffs, all of this doubt stems from a single woman. “Alright, If I reposition…”

“Milord?” And, of course, a messenger just had to arrive  **now** .

“What is it?” Leo snaps back, causing the man to flinch.

“Orders from his Highness, a new outpost has been built.” Leo narrows his eyes at him… why use the resources now? There’s no advantage right now…

“And what else?” He asks as he receives the position, primarily looking at the letter in his hands.

“It’s a… request from…”

“Speak.”

“H-High Prince Ryoma, milord.” The messenger meekly gives Lord Leo the letter.

“Is that so? To whom?” The seal has already been broken.

“His Highness, but he requested that you also read it.”

“Very well.” A request from the High Prince? With his interest piqued, Leo opens the letter. Greetings, names, the usual when it comes to formalities and… “I see.” No, he doesn’t ‘see’, there are still pieces missing. “Anything else?”

“No, milord.”

“Then leave.” Keeping the letter, Leo reads it over. “Wait… Zola. Zola. I think I heard his name somewhere…” A pause, “Odin!”

“From the darkest crevices of…”

“I want everything you can get your hands on for Zola.” Leo cuts him off, far too agitated for his theatrics. “Double-time.”

Odin slightly flinches, but bows, “At once, my liege.”

The letter… it seems rather hastily written, no… emotionally driven. In almost any other circumstance, he might not have even bat an eye at this, but now? Princess Camilla has gotten herself captured due to, what he can only assume, are false reports. Prince Leo has been forced away from Princess Sakura, who is now in the uncaring hands of Iago and Zola. High Prince Ryoma almost had himself killed by the Wolfskin alpha that had stolen Princess Corrin away. Princess Hinoka is apparently still in this ‘pack’.

…

And now High Prince Ryoma wants to trade Princess Camilla for Princess Sakura. So soon, so fast.

Leo believes the answer lies in Zola.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Lupus is finally training her human form while using the partial shifting to fight. Let the creativity begin! Other than that, hm... Well, it seems like she's gotten some pretty big support points with Dadaan, but uh... maybe there's something a bit more going on here? I mean, Dadaan, that's a pretty serious promise you made there... something a human lover might say to another.
> 
> Oh man... hold on there, Ryoma. You're making a bad call. You gotta stop and... oh, he already sent the letter. Nevermind.
> 
> Prince Leo has a PoV in this chapter, which means he has crossed the line into the 'good' side, but... nothing from Sakura, oh dear.


	39. Wheels Are In Motion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright yeah, I was really antsy on getting this chapter out. The groundwork for this arc has been set, and it is now in progress… enjoy!
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Princess Hinoka rides her Pegasus with a sort of solemn pride as she heads towards the Hoshidan base camp. A brief errand… get in and get out. Big brother will definitely want to talk to her, but… she can’t stay long. She can only imagine the happiness to see her return… only to grab some things and leave again.

Was Ryoma  **really**  aware of what could happen if he lost the duel?

Well, at least Keaty is trying to grasp why he should not force her down and mate. Keaty is willing to change, now if only the same could be said about Vella. And gods, Corrin… or Lupus, rather. It’s clear that ‘Corrin’ is gone, as Hinoka is the  **only one**  who refers to her as such, so… maybe it’s better if she just drops ‘Corrin’ for ‘Lupus’?

What would the others say to that? What would they think if Hinoka acknowledged that Corrin, the missing Hoshidan Princess, is now Lupus, the Wolfskin-raised half-dragon? As even in her human form, Cor… Lupus fights with her draconic powers.

Hinoka still remembers how Lupus originally sought how to wield a sword, but she left with not wanting anything to do with that… all that mattered was her Dragonstone. She so quickly discarded ‘human’ weapons for something that resembled ‘beast’ weapons.

Was she ashamed of being human?

No, that can’t be it. Sure, Lupus may act more like the pack, but it’s clear when she acts a human. Like when she started  **screaming**  in the middle of the pack.

Dadaan better be taking the absolute best care he can for her, and it better be more than just ‘listen to the male’.

Hinoka grips her Pegasus’s reigns tighter as the thought crosses her mind. She can understand the Wolfskin, but that doesn’t mean she approves of it… gods, females having  **no**  say in things. “Tch.” She scoffs. Still… Dadaan  **told**  her to  **sit**  and she  **sat** . Hinoka can’t just… But, Lupus isn’t fully human, is she? She’s half-dragon, raised by Wolfskin. She was raised differently, a fact that showed itself time and time again, but one that Hinoka can’t seem to get through to herself. “Woah, girl…” Hinoka coos as her Pegasus lands.

“Lady Hinoka?” Kagero.

“Hina!” Setsuna. “...You aren’t here to stay, are you?”

“I came to get some more armor and weapons, then return to the pack.” She internally flinches as she makes that announcement. “So no, I’m not here to stay.”

“...we need to share a few words, first, Lady Hinoka.” Kagero again. “ **Need** .”

“I can get another set of Sky Knight armor in the meantime~” Setsuna walks.

“I’ll pick out a few naginatas, then.” Subaki.

“Alright… whaddya need, Kagero?” She asks.

“It’s about our current situation. Lord Ryoma sent a request to Nohr for an exchange… Princess Camilla for Princess Sakura.”

“Wait, wait…  **Camilla**  is here?!” Hinoka shouted.

“Yes, she is. We assume it was a purposely failed assault.” Kagero calmly nods.

She scowls, “I… no.” She takes a breath, “I can’t get distracted… I need to hurry and get back.” She shakes her head. “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can really do.”

“...of course, I just thought it would only be fair to inform you.” Kagero nods. “Still… Lord Ryoma is… not himself. He’s making decisions without proper information. Nohr practically gave us one of their Princesses, and their response for the exchange happened far too fast. Please, if there’s anything you can get the pack to do.”

She shrugs, “Like what? Kagero, this will be an unnecessary conflict for them. It won’t happen.”

“Hina~.” Setsuna returns with a crate. “Three sets of Sky Knight armor…” She lazily smiles.

“Thank you…” Hinoka nods. “Now, Kagero. Believe me, as much as I want to help, I really can’t.”

The Ninja looks pained. “...understood.” She bows. “Thank you for your time, Lady Hinoka… give Lady Lupus my regards.”

“...You mean Lady Corrin?”

She nods, “Yes, but we’ve come to terms with her decision. If Lady Corrin wishes to be referred to as Lupus, then we will call her Lady Lupus.”

What is taking Subaki so long? “How’s Hana?” Well, she has some time, at least.

“She’s learning the struggles of controlling her temper. She’s already made some rash decisions, and recently got into an argument with Subaki, but this happened before Lady Camilla’s assault.”

“Really? I mean, I know Hana can get really focused on a task, and she does tend to get on the defensive a bit too quickly, but… arguing with Subaki?”

“...It’s about the duties of a retainer.” Kagero breathes, “She simply views her duties as Saizo does… which is her oath above everything else. Lady Hinoka, if she was there, she wouldn’t have left Lady Sakura even with Lady Sakura ordering her.”

“Oh…” Well that, and Hinoka doesn’t have any authority over Hana, since she’s a Samurai and not a Sky Knight. “Gods, where  **is**  Subaki?”

…

“Hina?” That’s… Ka-da? “If you don’t mind, would you take something to the pack for me… it’s a peace offering, of sorts, I guess?” He hands her a small bag. “I understand Lupus’s desire to bring Wolfskin and Kitsune together, and I really do want to help, but I also know this is going to take a lot of time. So… from one alpha to the other.”

“I can do that.” She nods as she accepts the bag.

“Thank you, Hina.” Ka-da bows.

“Alright, I’m back.” Subaki… conveniently returns... and she didn’t miss him nodding to Ka-da. “Four naginatas, forged from steel. One of them is Dual, one is a Guard.” He hands her a rather large bag.

Hinoka looks at her Pegasus, “You gonna be okay carrying all of this  **and**  me?” The majestic mount whinnies and steps back. “Oh, great…”

“I can go with you.” Subaki offers, yet Hinoka falters.

“You’ll just be landing and leaving.” She warns him.

“I understand… besides I have some materials of my own to give.” He brings out yet another bag, “Herbs, some Festals for you, a fair number of Vulneraries and Concoctions… and a shipment of anti-Beast Killer tonics.” He smiles.

“Jeez, bringing the whole medicine cabinet, aren’t you?” Hinoka laughs, “C’mon, let’s get going.”

“Only the best.” He nods, the both of them readying their Pegasi and soon taking off.

* * *

Dadaan sighs as he rubs his eyes with one hand, as the entire other half of his body is being held by Lupus, who is fast asleep. After her breakdown in their last training session, and after he managed to get her to calm down, she fell asleep. She looks so peaceful like this. “Hmph.” He huffs as he gives up the idea of just leaving. He meant what he said to Hina, even if he doesn’t realize what all of that actually includes.

He will soon, though.

“Dadaan, I…” The alpha walks in, then stops.

“She needs help, alpha.” He replies after a moment’s silence.

“She’s a female.” He flatly states.

“Which means she’s yours to mate with… I know. But, we also should take the time to tend to her human side… like you will with Hina.”

“What I will do is what I do.” A little aggression. “And you won’t have her.”

On edge, “I know.” Why is he stating the obvious?

“And you think you understand her human better than me?”

“Just because she grew up as your ‘sister’ doesn’t mean you understand her the best.” A rise in his tone. “Besides, you already got a full-blooded human on your paws.”

“...” He leans on the cave wall and sighs… Lupus shifts around and wraps her arms across Dadaan. “Alright, fine.” He suddenly says, “If the scouting group comes back clear tomorrow, we’ll settle it.” He gets off the wall and walks.

‘It’. “Alpha?”

“Look, I get it. I can tell. You want her… and I can tell from her scent that she’d rather have you.”

“But?”

“We’ll fight tomorrow. If you can best me, you can mate with her.”

“I’m not wanting to be the alpha.”

He huffs, “That’s not what I’m getting at. I’m staying the alpha regardless. I’m still a Wolfsegger. You’ll be… ‘dueling’ for the right to mate with just her.”

“...And I have to best you to get that right?” Lupus shifts around again, this time planting her whole front side of her body onto his side. “I’m only a Wolfskin.”

He clicks his tongue, “Yep.” He resumes walking out, “We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

“Mmm…” Lupus hums as she buries herself into Dadaan’s fur.

“Yeah… we’ll see.” He reaches and strokes her hair, which only causes her to tighten her grip in an attempt to get even more into his fur. “The right to mate with her…”

* * *

Princess Sakura slowly blinks her eyes and stretches. Thankfully, the burning pain has left her and her magic is slowly recovering. She’s also been getting quite the last few good meals. However, it has only been adding to suspicion… are they bringing her up only to drag her back down? She can feel some strength return to her body, but…

She looks around. Something is… off. “Ah, you’re awake.” She grits her teeth… Iago. A bump soon follows, a cart?

“Where are you taking me?” Is the first thing she asks.

“We’re getting Princess Camilla back.” He simply replies.

“You’re…” Wait, so if she is being moved, then… “I’m going home?!”

“Yes, you filth. Your presence is nothing compared to Lady Camilla’s.” His tone is laced with disgust.

She’s… going home. Back to her family. Sakura sighs in relief as she sits down, content for once. It’s almost over, it’s almost over. A Princess for a Princess. Sakura then relaxes as she closes her eyes for a quick nap, the relief is literally enough to give her the peace of mind for proper sleep.

...

She awakes, this time in… her cell? Sakura was about to cry, was that just a dream? Even her mind is taunting her now? “My my, quite the sleepy one, aren’t you?”

“ **Iago** .” She hisses… then squeaks at her own aggressiveness.

“Hmph.” He… smiles? “Spit all the threats you want, soon our hands will be washed from you.”

“...huh?” Sakura couldn’t help but tilt her head. “That… wasn’t a dream? I’m going home?”

He scoffs, “Gods, yes woman. You are going home. We’ll bring you out when the Hoshidans are within sight.” He shakes his head, “You might as well get another nap in, Princess, it’ll be a while.”

* * *

Clank, bind… Sakura is led by ropes and chains outside, the light almost blinding her at first. A small price to pay for the reunion to come. “They are arriving!” Some scout calls out.

“All weapons to the side! This is a peaceful exchange.” She notes the disgust in Iago’s voice. “Finally, we’re almost rid of you.”

The massive gates part, and there are a number of Hoshidans coming through… with three Nohrians. “Big br-brother!” Sakura squeals as she takes a step, only to be stopped by the chain.

“Gods, little sister…” Ryoma breathes a sigh of relief. Alongside him are his two retainers. Princess Camilla and her two retainers are flanked by Sakura’s and Hinoka’s retainers. Home is so close now. “As you can see, we have Princess Camilla and her retainers, shall we proceed with the exchange?” His voice booms out…

As his two retainers give her a strangely scrutinizing look. It’s no doubt from her current… less than healthy state. “Of course.” Iago smoothly replies. “All at once.” He gestures with his hand and Sakura is guided forward, crossing the midpoint with the other prisoners.

“Aw, you  **are**  adorable.” Princess Camilla coos, though Sakura remains silent.

“Sakura… Sakura, Sakura.” Big brother pulls her into a hug.

“My liege!” Hana kneels.

“It’s… perfect to have you back.” Subaki nods, a grim smile on his face.

“The exchange is done… get out of my sight.” Iago sneers.

Ryoma tenses, but manages to keep his calm and nods. “We’re leaving!” He announces.

Sakura walks alongside Hana, who is the current definition of happiness. “I’ll never leave your side like that again, milady.”

“And I’ll be sure to have you fully recovered within a week.” Subaki states.

“I-I’m… just gl-glad to be b-back.” Sakura just barely whispers. “H-Home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awwwww yeah. Let’s see… Hinoka. Despite it all, it seems the woman is still having trouble grasping Wolfskin tradition. Hey, at least she got her armor and weapons… I do hope the pack doesn’t mind a less than one minute visit from Subaki, though…
> 
> The pack. Dadaan, you sweet thing, being a pillow for a sleepy-headed Lupus. But, what’s this? Another change? Dadaan will fight solely for the right of mating with Lupus? I do hope that the forecast will be clear tomorrow, ‘cause I wanna see if he wins…
> 
> Aaand, Princess Sakura is back! Seems as if she’s gotten just a tad bit better treatment before the trade-off, which… rather smoothly, yeah?
> 
> Hm, I wonder though… I have a specific way of setting chapters, and this fic is no different. I’m curious if anyone can spot the… odd thing… because something is off in this chapter. It’s literally only a single line of ‘weird’.


	40. Surprise!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ermahgerd, you won't believe this, but… there are Lupus shenanigans this chapter! Woo-hoo! And what a terrific thing, too!
> 
> …
> 
> But I doubt Lupus and her antics will balance out the rest of the chapter...
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Lupus slowly blinks her eyes as she wakes up, feeling far more refreshed than she has in a long while… since the day she and Seta had sex and slept together, actually… and before that, well… being smushed between Keaty and Vella during one of those really cold winter nights. This time? Well, pressed up against Dadaan, his gentle breathing soothing her. Calm to match calm. Her arms are wrapped around him and her chest is pressed up against his side. She reaches out and touches one of his sections of distinctly purple fur.

Peace.

She smiles as she breathes in his scent… earthy with a hint of blood, like the others… except that, there is this other more subtle scent… something she associates with Seta, it's that… scent she can't really place, but one she wants more of. Her heart races as she looks him over, the human side of her starting to get some control through her emotions… the dragon side of her fighting for that same control from the more primal need of… needing. And the next thing she knows…

She's tasting that scent. Earthy, some blood, and whatever that other combination is.

It took her several moments to realize she was kissing him, roughly around the same time he woke up and, understandably, backed off. Human things after all… kissing. "...sorry." Lupus whispers. "Human side." It's not like she can have him, anyway. Despite what she  **wants** , Keaty will probably end up mating with her, because that is what the pack  **needs**.

 _"And what do_ ** _you_** _want?"_  Hina's voice echoed in her head.

The answer is simple… she wants Dadaan, she wants Seta. Alright, maybe it isn't so simple. "Lupus?" Dadaan asks, bringing her out of her thoughts, her conflicts. Two sides, one person… dragon and human, but also raised in a Wolfskin pack, so… it's actually three sides. Sure, sometimes she wonders how she would have turned out if she was born a Wolfskin, sometimes a human, and recently a dragon, but… for all the issues it brings up, she rather stay the way she is.

No, she knows… she  **wants**  this war to end.

"I should probably go and help out…" She gets up, still slightly heated from her human slip-up, "We're never safe, after all… y'know." He might have replied, but she wasn't listening. There's too much stuff going on right now. The pack comes first, besides there… she sniffs the air as she leaves the cave she was in, there's a scent here that wasn't here before, a person… but one she remembers.

Superman visited?

She follows the residual scent trail over to a pile of sacks. "Heya, sister." Hina pops out from the other side of the pile.

"What's all this?" Curiosity wins and she sticks her head into one… and is met with a  **horrid**  stench.

"Those are the specialty tonics." Hina supplies, moments before Lupus dry heaves over the grass. "Subaki came with me, since there were a lot of extra stuff…" She gestures at the sacks, "And none of this is even including my three new armor sets or four naginatas." A pause, "I was just organizing it right now… well, not that it needs it. Subaki already has everything labeled and portioned."

"Labeled?" Lupus echoes, looking over the sacks and… "What's that?" She points at some white cloth on it.

"A label."

"A label is a white cloth with black spots on it?" Lupus tilts her head.

"No, that's…" Hina pauses again, "Sister…" She sighs.

"What did I do now?"

"You don't know how to read, do you?"

"'Read'?"

Hina nods and points at the cloth, "'Specialty tonics'." Her finger traces the dots and lines.

"I don't get it." Lupus huffs, that familiar aggravation coming back from whenever she has trouble understanding something.

"Sister… of course you don't. Gods, why didn't we think of that…" She rubs her forehead. "I'm sorry, we should have at least taught you how to read."

"So… those are 'readings'?" She points at the dots and lines.

"Those are letters."

"So… you want to teach me how to letter?"

Hina shakes her head, "No, we use vowels and…"

"What's a 'vowel'?"

Hina takes the largest sigh ever to be had. "How about this. I finish going over what we have, and I'll teach you, okay?"

"Okay." Lupus smiles. "Let me know when you're ready to teach me voweling and lettering."

Not wanting to cause further argument, Hina simply nods, "Alright. See you later."

* * *

Hana's mood had practically shot through the roof as Lady Sakura had returned to the Hoshidan base camp. Her liege is back, and she is able to do what she is supposed to do… guard her. Granted, there are few… complications, all related to Lady Sakura's near malnourishment while a prisoner, but she's here, Hana can protect her…

And there's no reason to 'have to' leave her behind. Hana still hasn't exactly let the idea drop, she has just stopped arguing the point. Subaki needs to up his 'perfection' so that he takes his duty to Lady Sakura much more seriously. Right now, though, Hana is across the table while Lady Sakura gets some much needed food in.

"Pl-please… I… don't need to b-be watched like… this." It hurts Hana to hear Lady Sakura act far more reserved than she usually is… obviously a consequence of whatever those vile Nohrians did to her.

"My apologies, my liege. I'm… relieved you're back and I just want to make sure you remain safe." Regardless, she takes a few steps back, "I'll make sure I repay those Nohrians three fold for every trouble they inflicted on you." This isn't the type of reassurance Lady Sakura likes, but Hana needs to make things right again, and if that takes over a hundred Nohrian bodies worth of blood… then let it be so.

As she expected, Lady Sakura frowns at the declaration. "I… suppose I should know b-better than to try and… convince you other-otherwise, Hana." Without her Festal in hand, Lady Sakura instead resorts to fiddling with her fork. "I just wish this wasn't happening in the first place."

A grim nod, "I know… but I assure you, we'll make this war quick."

Tap, tap… pick, eat… "I w-wonder how my… s-sisters are d-doing…"

A sour expression crosses Hana's face, but it fades just as quick. "...Permission to speak freely, Lady Sakura?"

She looks somewhat surprised, "U-Um… sure. G-go ahead."

"I… frankly don't approve of Lady Corrin's choice. That is, if she is Lady Corrin." Hana paused, ready for whatever response that will cause.

"...I know, she isn't the same, is she?" Sadness, perhaps Hana should have expected that type of emotion the most.

"And… I can't believe Lord Ryoma just… let that  **wolf**  take Lady Hinoka!" Something flashes across Lady Sakura's eyes… but Hana isn't too sure of the emotion. It's a combination of various emotions… pain, probably? "Why are we letting a pack of wolves  **steal**  Hoshidan Royalty and do what they want? They… they are even  **Nohrian**!" Hana takes a breath, reminding herself to not act so much on emotion, "My apologies, Lady Sakura."

"I… It's okay, I guess." Fiddle, fiddle, "I  **did**  let you speak as you will, a-after all." She gently wipes her mouth clean, "Thank you for the meal, H-Hana." A smile, as peaceful as Hana remembers.

"Anything for my liege." Hana bows. "What would you like to do next?"

A moment passes, before she yawns, "A pr-proper sleep would b-be nice." A sheepish smile follows, "In an actual c-cot."

Fair enough… Hana nods. "Okay, let me escort you to your cot, then!"

Lady Sakura lightly giggles, "Please, I-I don't n-need to… b-be assisted w-with… everything, H-Hana."

"I insist! It's not just because of my duty as your retainer… but also because I want to! You're like… my best friend!" A short pause, "Uh, if that's okay? I mean, if it's too unprofessional as my role, then…"

Lady Sakura dips her head, "I would l-love that… H-Hana. So, b-best friends."

* * *

Prince Leo sighs, runs a hand through his hair, then looks over his next set of orders again. Misalignment, inaccuracy… all of these small errors. An exchange of Princesses has changed into two Princesses and two retainers…

"Aw, what's the matter, little Leo?" Speaking of Princesses… Camilla strides up. "You're going to get a cramp, sitting like that."

"About your… report?" He instead asks.

"The scout has been executed for his failure." She shrugs it off, "Anyone else close has been imprisoned."

" **You**  could have been executed, sister." He presses, "How does this not bother you?"

She laughs… she  **laughed** , "We have their Princess, remember?"

Holding back his own… personal concern for Sakura's well-being, he nods, "And now she's back in…"

"Leo… oh my dear little brother," She coos, "Let me repeat myself… We  **have**  their Princess."

What?! "Princess Sakura was…"

"Is in the new Nohrian outpost." She smiles. Then… wait, how?! "Zola  **is**  the master of Illusion style magic."

Leo takes a breath, "I see." And yes, he does see… pieces start falling into place. "And why was I not informed?"

"Oh, it's nothing against you… just the usual protocol… the less that know, the better." She smiles, "Trust me, darling, I wanted to tell you, but… orders are orders."

"No, don't concern yourself… I understand." King Garon… approved of this? War hasn't even been declared! "Are there any other similar plans? At least grant me the knowledge of that."

She places a finger on her bottom lip, hums, then shakes her head, "Not that I know of." She places her hands on his shoulders, "Now then… what is stressing out our highly intelligent Prince Leo?"

He sighs, "Always able to see right through me…" He rubs his eyes, "When is the next assault? I tire of being cramped in here."

"Would you like me to take over this position for a few battles?" She asks.

"If you're able. I have ideas that are best exercised in the field."

"For whom?"

"...the pack."

* * *

Heavy breathing, so tired… and more  **burning**. Coughing soon follows and she finally opens her eyes. Princess Sakura gasps for air… so dry, water. Her vision is dangerously blurry, and she has never felt so weak… "Wh…" Whatever she was going to say was cut off by the sheer dryness of her throat.

"Good morning, Princess Sakura." That voice… Iago. Again? But, wait…

"E…" Exchange, prisoner exchange is what she wanted to bring up. "Wa...ter." She soon hears something slide across the floor, and in pure instinct, grabs and chugs…

Then almost vomits. Not water, not water! "Oh dear, sorry… that was a cup of ale." There's nothing 'sorry' in his voice.

Not that she is even paying attention, as the dryness of her throat only serves to multiply the burning effect of the alcohol. "Pl…" Another object slides, but this time, she attempts to at least sniff it. She takes a careful sip and… by the gods.  **Water**. "Family… where's my family!" Tears are streaming down her face.

"They left you, Princess."

" **Liar**!" She screams… as much as she can, anyway, before she starts coughing again.

"Am I?" He raises an eyebrow… or she thinks, anyway, it's so hard to see. "I can prove that they arrived to the outpost and left… without you."

Liar, liar, liar! "They haven't came yet! Or… or you just…"

Jingle, jingle. A… bell? "During exchanges, each party holds an item that serves as a temporary ceasefire. Typically it is in the form of a white flag, but…" Jingle, jingle, "High Prince Ryoma had this… bell attached to his."

"I… I don't believe you!"

Snap, lights…  **burning** , Sakura lets out a squeal as Iago uses a small fire spell near her. "Face it, girl. They saw how  **pathetic**  you are and decided it would be best to leave you behind."

Openly crying, but she has no tears to shed… so dry. "Stop lying!"

"Is that all you can muster for arguments? I have so many other points to give, but you keep falling back on deceit." Inside her cell, pushed against the wall, cold… so cold. "Then why are you still here? High Prince Ryoma, his two retainers, Subaki, and Hana… all of them arrived here, but you were denied. You are a disgrace to Hoshidan Royalty. They have effectively disowned you."

"I…"

"Don't believe you?" He cuts her off, fingers pressing in… magic? Dark Magic. Sakura never used it, but she just  **knows**  he's pushing Dark Magic into her. "Listen to me. They. Left. You."

"L-L...Liar." She whimpers, hurts… pain. So much pain. Dryness, coldness, numbing, Dark Magic… why?

"Tch." Sakura drops to the ground when Iago releases. "I'll let you have a day or two for those facts to sink in… then we'll talk." He leaves, but…

All she can really feel is all of those points of pain. Her throat is getting really dry again, her stomach rumbles in protest, the stones around her are so cold, yet some of her inside are burning. No tears to shed, yet… beyond all of that… beyond her spite towards Iago, past her resolve that her family will come, there is one thing that has been undoubtedly planted by his Dark Magic that scares her more than anything.

Doubt.

Doubt for what she believes… and a twisted trust for what he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, Lupus. Both falling in love and stumbling around with… reading! That's right, the topic that Lupus 'luckily' missed during her entire time with her family!
> 
> Hana, finally happy now that Sakura is back. She can once more stand by her liege's side and give it her all and… oh dear. She used the single most offensive term for any Wolfskin… 'wolf'. Let's hope that Hana doesn't do anything else reckless with the Wolfskin…
> 
> Prince Leo! What could he be planning for the pack? Hm… anyway. I was going to leave it on a somber note with Leo's PoV, but then I thought… hey, let's give Sakura her turn. But, lemme back up a bit.
> 
> Last chapter, I pointed out that there's something strange, right? Well, I was referring to the fact there was a section of the chapter with Sakura's PoV, a break line, then… Sakura's PoV. See, I use break lines for three reasons. One is to separate A/N, Shout-outs away from the story itself. The second is time skips/scene transitions. The third is PoV changing. So, I used my break line to change from Sakura's PoV to… Sakura's PoV? Nope! The second Sakura was actually Zola's PoV!


	41. Promise of Relief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

 

Princess Hinoka sighs as she stands opposite of Keaty, who is predictably, leaning against the nearby wall. “So, humans have… consent because of… morals?” He asks… again.

“Yes, Keaty. It isn’t right to just have… erm, sex.” Her face slightly flushes at the topic… gods know this would be one of the last possible situations she would find herself explaining this to someone. She would sooner think she would be explaining this to her own child, first. “You need to take the other person’s feelings into consideration.”

“But, if both agree to…?” The alpha trails off.

“Then it’s fine, but it is also usually looked down upon if the two are not married.”

“...married?” He echoes.

Hinoka internally sighs in somewhat relief, at least she finally managed to get past the initial ‘consent’ part. “It’s alright, you’ve made progress, we can stop for now.”

“Really?” He tilts his head, “I guess? Erm, could you at least explain marriage once, then?”

She nods, “Alright, but this will be all for now, I don’t want to push you too much…” She takes a breath, “Marriage is when two people come together and vow an eternal oath to always be there for each other, no matter how hard times may get. A love that never ends.”

Keaty furrows his brows, but thankfully doesn’t try to pursue the topic anymore… for now. “Alright. Uh, thanks… Hina.” He fidgets in place.

Which she immediately picks up on, “Hey, you alright?”

“Huh? Me? Yeah, I’m fine.”

She narrows her eyes, “Um, let’s see… ears down. Tail still. Angry?”

“Am I baring my teeth?”

“Ok, um… frustrated?”

“Am I growling?” He flatly asks.

“Sad?”

“Ugh, alright fine. I  **do**  want… here.” He scoffs, reaches into his pocket and hands her a small bag. “ **You**  need to work on figuring out the more subtle body language Wolfskin use.” He turns and walks…

Hinoka  **knows**  he is annoyed now. Still, she shrugs and opens the pouch, truly curious as to what Keaty got her.

“...” She closes the bag and opens it again in disbelief. “A… Ruby?” A single, but large rectangular Ruby is inside, completely untouched by any artificial interference… yet somehow already shaped perfectly. How much did this cost at… wait. There’s dirt and… some blood?

…

Did Keaty dig this up for her? That would explain the dirt, but the blood? Hinoka puts the precious stone back into the bag, and while she was ready to thank Keaty, he has already walked off.

“Hina~!” Corrin… no, Lupus walks up. “Can we do some more lettering?”

Hinoka closes her eyes and sighs… ‘lettering’. She swears that Keaty is learning faster than her own sister. “Reading and writing, sister.”

“Pfft, that’s too many… ooo.” Disregarding all personal space, Lupus gets closer to the bag, “What did Keaty get you?”

Right… everyone has their own ‘scent’. “A gift.” She simply replies.

“Keaty got you some treasure?” Which causes her to smile, she then sniffs, or at least tries to sniff the bag. “Huh? What is it?”

Hinoka undoes the bag once more and shows Lupus her gift, “A whole Ruby.”

Lupus tilts her head, “That’s not treasure.” She bluntly states.

“It is to me. That was really thoughtful of him.” She puts the precious gem back into its bag and stuffs it in her pocket. “By the way, if that’s not ‘treasure’ to you, then what is?”

Lupus’s face beams, “Hold on and I’ll show you!” Without wasting anymore time, she runs off towards her cave and completely forgets about the ‘lettering’… while Hinoka holds the bag inside of her pocket.

“Oh… I think I know why he got me this now.” Hinoka says aloud with a flush on her face, “Gods… is he actually trying to court me now?”

* * *

Kaden yawned as he slowly stretched his Nine-tails form from his current napping position… but also not so much as to wake his ‘napping buddy’... Kagero. The Ninja has taken an understandably interest in his fur. Kaden does keep his fur the fluffiest and softest ever! He takes great pride in how well he keeps himself groomed… which is something Selkie picked up on.

You’ll probably never see any other beastfolk that carry brushes with them.

Thinking of that, one of his free tails retrieves the precious brush and he starts smoothing out the spots he can, humming in content and, “Kaden?” Kagero groggily asks as she quickly gets up, “Oh… I thought I heard growling.” And she’s already wide awake.

...Poor human, unable to ever get proper rest due to her position. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to wake you up.” He lies his head down as he continues to brush his body.

“...Hey, Kaden?” She suddenly asks as she stoops down. “Would you mind if I brushed your fur?”

He gasps, “Mind? Of course not, go right ahead!” His tail offers the brush, to which Kagero accepts it and begins brushing him, “Mmm… I  **love**  that feeling. Ooo, ooo!” His tails start wagging furiously, all in different angles and speeds, “Right there, right there…”

“Heh… I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, Kaden.” Kagero smiles, a sudden ease washing over her at Kaden’s display.

He hums, “I know… I can smell your own happiness.” He ever so slightly turns his head to look at her, a knowing glint in his eyes. “You’re also really liking spending time with me.”

Despite all of her Ninja training, Kagero still ends up flushing, “You’re a very kind and gentle person, Kaden. I’ve… never felt so relaxed before. So, thank you.”

“Not a problem, buddy!” A short pause, “Heh! Want me to brush your hair later?”

“I… please, I’d rather keep it as is.”

“Aw, c’mon! It’ll feel really good! I can brush hair like nobody else!” He proudly proclaims.

“...Maybe some other time. I still have my duties as Lord Ryoma’s retainer.”

“Right… ‘retainer’.” He sighs. “I suppose I shouldn’t hold you up, then.” He lies his head back down.

“I agree.” Kagero hands him his brush back, “...I do enjoy our time spent, maybe we could again before the day is over?”

“Yeah… I would like that.” He nods.

“...Then I’ll take my leave. Have a good day, Kaden.”

“You too, Kagero.” Another sigh as she walks off. Kaden glances once more before she’s out of sight, he’s being honest… he really does like her. He also really wishes she could take a ‘day off’ of being A Lord Ryoma’s ‘retainer’. Oh, the places he could show her. The sights and smells… laughter and… his heart picks up its speed. “Hm…” He hums. “Maybe… Maybe Kitsunes and Wolfskin always had the room to ‘love’, but we always pushed it back? So, now that we are constantly interacting with certain humans, the ‘mating’ instinct is slowly giving way to ‘affection’. Maybe I should get her a gift, then? Or is that too forward?” His tails settle back down and he lies them over his body, those three Foxfire orbs dimming and just hovering in place. “I hope Lupus is doing well…”

* * *

“Milord?” Odin asks as he and Prince Leo are riding their horses across the trail. “Permission to speak?”

“Yes, Odin?” Leo nods.

“About this mission…?”

A pause, “I have standards.” Leo takes a breath, “I can understand the need for deception and underhanded tactics, but that doesn’t mean I approve of them. There is a time and place for everything, but now? Before the war has even started? No, it’s too early for this approach.”

“And what of Niles? His chest wound has healed.”

Yet, Leo shakes his head, “His body may have healed, but he hasn’t made a full recovery. He had failed to show me a proper display of archery before I made my departure.”

“Then we’re to face the pack as two?”

“We aren’t going to the pack.”

“But, milord… you told…”

“I’m aware of what I ‘told’ the others, but that the pack is not my primary objective.”

“Then, where are we headed?”

“The newest Nohrian outpost. I wish to see to Lady Sakura’s well-being.”

“Lady… Sakura?” Odin echoes, but otherwise stays silent. “Milord, is that…?”

“That’s enough, Odin.” Leo sternly states.

* * *

“Ngh, er…” Sakura breathes in more dryness as she just barely manages to push herself up. “W...water.” She ungracefully crawls over to the spot where these  **horrible**  people have been placing the water bowl…

That is sometimes tainted with ale.

Slosh, slosh, she touches the unknown liquid, before licking a bit off of her… then coughs as the familiar burn of alcohol returns. “Wh-why?” She whimpers. “J-just water… pl-please.” She cries into her own bowl. So tired, so weak, so dry, so…

“You best drink your fill, Sakura.” Iago… Iago.

“L-leave me alone! You…” cough, “are  **horrible** ! E-evil! Just  **leave** !”

“Heh, getting better.” He smirks. “I wonder how much more you can take…” He enters her cell and holds out his hands, “Dark Magic can become very addictive, you know. Just… open up for me.”

Sakura glares at Iago, and backs up… he steps forward, and she holds out her hand. “Leave me alone!” She screams… despite the protests her dry throat are making.

“The sweet, young and innocent Sakura… willing to threaten a person? My, my…” One more step.

“Go  **away** !” Magic pulses out, she whimpers as the burning… no, wait. This is a different type of burn “Wh-what?” Wrongness lines this magic, then her eyes widen.

“Dark Magic, ‘tis but a speck, but you still used some.” He smiles. “That’ll do for today. You! Get her an entire jug of fresh water.” A pause, then he walks, “I will see you tomorrow, Princess Sakura.” Step, step, leave.

Sakura keels over. “D-d-d-d-dark Magic?” She echoes. “N-n-n-no! I d-d-d-don’t…!” It’s as far away as healing as one can get and she… used it? So wrong, so wrong, so… Step, step, enter… not the guard, there isn’t enough ‘armor noise’. Sakura looks up and gasps. “Pr-Prince Leo? Y-y-y-you’re…”

“By the gods, Princess Sakura.” He glares at the locked gate, then reaches out.

“Milord?” Another voice asks. “Please, don’t tell me…”

His hand stops and he sighs. “I couldn’t protect you and now…” A pulse of magic leaves him, “Iago forced… Dark Magic into you.” The open hand turns into a clenched fist. “That…”

“Prince Leo?” Sakura asks. “Please… are you here to… protect me? You’re going to take over my confinement, right? I’d rather be in your care. I don’t care if you’re Nohrian, or that you’re a Prince or that you were forced to hurt use b-big sister. I’d rather have you than… than  **him** .”

He takes a breath, “I came to check on your health, Lady Sakura.” He admits. “I’ve no control over your current state.” Yet, he reaches for the lock again. “Damn his decisions.” He swears.

“Pr-Prince Leo?”

He stoops down and tosses in a small metal piece. “Mark my words, Princess Sakura. I will return for you, just… hold out until then.”

She picks it up… it’s a small emblem of the Dusk Dragon. “You will?”

“Keep resisting, keep fighting. I would do something now, but…” He pauses, then  **smirks** , “It would be unwise to act without a plan.” He rises, but then hesitates. “Hm… Lady Sakura? I do have a rather strange request…”

Sakura clasps the emblem close to her chest… her ragged clothes. “Wh-what do you need?”

“Your hairband.” He simply supplies.

She understandably looks confused, but then she smiles. “I trust you, Prince Leo. So… here.” She and Hinoka don’t exactly have a lot of hair to begin with, so the hairband Sakura has is more for decoration. Corrin, on the other hand, could really use something for all of her hair…

“You… aren’t going to ask why?” He accepts it as she hands it out.

“Prince Leo, you are a good person, I know you are, it’s just… you really don’t have much you can do without risking huge things. I’m sure that whatever you plan to do with my hairband will be good.” She bows. “You and Princess Elise are wonderful people.” She quietly says as he takes his leave, too taken aback by her blatant trust and honesty.

* * *

Lupus’s ears perk up as she wakes up from a quick nap. Things have been relatively calm lately… has her blood family and their army made a lot of wins, then? She welcomes the peacefulness with open arms, but… she is also wary of it. She can’t afford to let her guard down, none of the pack can. This could be just a method to… “Oof!”

To have Vella tackle her to the ground, of course. “Mmm, sister.” Out goes personal space, in comes Vella’s sniffing. “I’m back.”

Lupus giggles, “I can see that. How did it go?”

Wag, wag, “Scouting is cleared, hunting is coming back soon. We picked some fruits on the way back.” A smile, “And… hm?” She resumes sniffing… up, up, up.

All the way to her face. “Is something wrong?”

“...Did you bite Dadaan?” She asks, “No, wait… no scent of blood. Sister?”

Her face flushes, “I, uh… might have kissed him?” Embarrassment.

“Kiss?” She echoes. Oh right, that word doesn’t even exist among the Wolfskin. “Is it like biting?”

“It’s like… tasting. Mouth to mouth.”

Her tail stops, “Human thing?” At least there’s no growling this time.

“Human thing.” Lupus nods. “So…”

“Wait a second.” Vella’s hands move to Lupus’s head, then her hair, “...bug. When was the last time you searched your hair?” Pick, flick.

“I… don’t know?” She shrugs, then hums as her other hand starts scratching her head. “When I was with my blood family, maybe?” A pause, “Is there even a lake near here?”

“Uh-huh.” Vella nods as another bug is picked out. “Wanna go?”

“Yes!” Vella gets up, Lupus gets up, and the two quickly dash out. “Wait, uh… Can we bring Hina?”

She stops and scoffs, “I don’t want her near you. Just us.”

Lupus narrows her eyes. “Vella, you’re gonna have to get used to it. Hina’s here, she’s probably staying. She’s my blood sister, she should come.”

Vella tilts her head, then sighs. “If… if you really want her to come. Then, alright.”

Lupus smiles, “Awesome, one moment!” She then dashes off, leaving behind Vella, who now has a small smile on her face. “Hina~?” She calls out as she goes from one spot to the other, following her spicy scent to…

Keaty’s den… again.

She pokes her head in, seeing Hina doing something that she would expect Keaty to do… leaning against the cave wall. She’s holding that ruby again and… smiling at it. Then Lupus steps on a small branch and Hina jumps in place, “Oh… hey little sister.” She smiles, “I didn’t hear you coming in.”

“You really like that ruby?” She tilts her head, it is rather shiny… even in the cave.

“I don’t think Keaty knows all the implications, but…”

“Impl...ications?”

“Unspoken details.” Hina clarifies without a hint of irritation. “Uh, what does it mean to you if a male gives a female a gift?”

“As in treasure?” Lupus hums, “It’s just a gift. Keaty, Vella, and I shared things all the time…” A smile. “Why, what does it mean for…” She pauses as she realizes she was about to say ‘humans’, “us?”

Hina clearly caught her hesitation, as a brief frown crosses her face, “It depends on the relationship between the two people, what the gift actually is, what…” She stops as she sees Lupus’s increasingly confused expression. “A lot of things. It’s just how it is.”

“Alright, so… if I gave Seta a ruby like that, what would that mean?” She instead asks. “Taking our ‘relationship’ as part of it.”

“Well, a whole ruby like this is very expensive and since you two are… uh… ‘involved’ with each other. It would be a romantic gesture.”

“An expensive gift is… romantic?” Lupus echoes. “Well, what about a sweet smelling bright red feather?” She then reaches into her hair, “Two of them, that is… one for each. Uh, it’s here somewhere…” She starts running her fingers through her hair.

“Two matching objects? I guess that would be like two…” And now she pauses, “Wedding rings. Wait, did you…?”

“Where is it?” By now, Lupus has combed through all of her hair. “Hina? I can’t find it… Where’s my feather!?”

“What feather?” She asks.

“Sister? What’s…” Vella walks in. “Are you searching for more…?”

“Vella! I had a feather in my hair!” She’s combing through it again, “It was bright red and it smelled really sweet and…” A glint passes through Vella’s eyes. “Vella? Where’s my feather?”

“...It had the scent of Kitsune and…”

“ **Vella** ! Where’s. My. Feather!?” She bares her teeth.

“Gone.” She sniffs. “Picked it out in the last den.”

“You took it out!?”

Hina steps between the two… a growling Lupus and Vella. “Hey, hey… she didn’t know!”

“Th-that’s all I had left to smell Seta by!” She whines. Hina takes another step, ready to try and… “We’re leaving.” Lupus grabs Hina’s hand. “Hina and me will go to the lake.”

“You don’t even know where…”

“I’ll sniff it out.” Lupus huffs. “C’mon, sister.”

“Lake? For what… hey!” Lupus tugs on Hina, who walks along.

“Bathing.” She simply replies. “It’s been a while. Haven’t bathed since visit.” She looks back with a smile, “You didn’t notice?”

Hina sniffs the air, “I… can’t really tell. There’s just so many ‘natural’ scents that I can’t tell the difference.”

“Your nose just isn’t as good as ours.” Suddenly playful. “Hina? Do you like it here? I know we don’t have a lot that you’re used to.”

Her sister nods, “It is a lot to get used to, things are definitely simpler. It still feels weird not having so much to look at, and Keaty can be…”

“Stubborn?” She giggles. “He was like that even before I left. His tail would wag, but he would always blame it on something else… like ‘it is hurting’ or ‘it is really cold’.”

“Yeah, that sounds like something he would do.” A smile graces Hina’s face.

“So… what about Keaty? Do you like him?”

To which Hina’s face flushes, “He’s strong, devoted to protecting those he cares about, and while things can get too… forceful, he’s also willing to understand.”

A bigger smile, “You want to be with Keaty.”

“Sister, he…”

“You can’t lie to me~.” Lupus sings, “Your scent is getting stronger with just talking about him.” She lets go of Hina’s hand and starts skipping ahead. “My sister wants to be with Keaty~!”

“Oh yeah? Well, what about you and Dadaan?” Hina asks.

She squeaks and almost trips over a simple branch, “Huh? Whaddya mean?”

“Well, you can’t lie to me, either. You are doing a lot of human things that are reserved for couples with him.” She returns the smile, “I mean, c’mon… kissing him? Snuggling up next to him as close as you did, you love Dadaan…”

“As much as you love Keaty.” Lupus counters, then stops to sniff the air, “Ooo, it wasn’t too far off.” She turns her attention to the side, and a few tree trunks later sits a large lake. “Hey, this is pretty nice.”

“Hey, wait a minute… we don’t… sister!” Hina shouts as Lupus strips on the spot and jumps in. “Towels… we don’t have towels.” She sighs.

“Hina~!” Lupus calls out after she dives and rises. “Come on in!”

“Alright, fine… just… look away for a bit.” Hina hesitantly replies as she, much more slowly, undresses, though she leaves her bra and underwear on. “Okay, so…  **ah!** ” She almost screams as she touches the water, “That’s…  **cold** !”

“I know! It’s great!” She laughs. “Hurry up! Just jump in!”

“Gods, if I knew it was going to be this cold I would…  **Lupus** !” Within that time, Lupus had already swam over and yanked Hina into the water. “I’m going to get a cold!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you become a cold. Here…” She hugs Hina. “Let me know when you’re warm enough.”

“Sister…” Hina flushes. “Could you not be so close?”

“...But then you’ll get a cold.” She frowns. “I can keep you warm.”

“Alright, fine…” Hina sighs as she, slowly, relaxes. “I still prefer the hot springs over this.”

“Hot springs? Oh… you mean that place with all the steam?” Lupus tilts her head, “I didn’t like it there. Made things too hot. I like swimming to cool off… and wash.” She admits, pauses, then sniffs herself, “Oh, right… washing.” She sheepishly smiles. “My hair more than anything.” She dunks herself under the water and quickly rises back up…

Hina laughed. “Sister… gods… I never realized how much hair you have.” In short, all of Lupus’s head was covered in her wet hair. “Did you ever get it cut?”

“Why would I get it cut?” She asks through a wall of hair… though it’s alright, she doesn’t need to see to know where everything around her is. “Human thing?”

The mood drops a bit, “Would you mind… not saying that? ‘Human’ thing.”

A pause as Lupus slowly parts her hair, “It must be nice… knowing what you are and what you want to be.”

“...huh?”

“What am I, Hina? The alpha told me early on that I am human, but that my pointed ears, red eyes, and sharp teeth made him thought I might be part Wolfskin or Kitsune. Before that, I thought I was a Wolfskin. Then I left the pack and I remember how bad everyone was… all of those wasted resources. I didn’t want to be a human if that’s what humans are like…” She chokes on a sob, “Then I started meeting people like A Lady Mozu, Seta, and you… so I thought maybe there are good humans. I got to my ‘real’ family and sometime later mother told me I’m actually half-dragon and half-human… but I was born with scales. It turns out I can use a Dragonstone and I can shift specific body parts. I thought I find my place for a bit, but then the Nohrians started attacking and now… I don’t know.”

“I…”

“What am I? A Wolfskin raised half-dragon, half-human? How do I know I don’t actually have beast blood in me?  **That’s**  why I keep saying ‘human thing’... I  **don’t know**  what I am.” She shivers, but it isn’t from the lake.

“Alright, I can tell you the truth.” Hina nods with a smile.

Yet, Lupus takes that the wrong way, “What?! Do you mean I’m still being lied to!?”

“Huh? No! That’s not what I meant.” Honesty… Lupus calms down. “What I’m saying is that you’re my sister.”

“...I know that.” She flatly replies.

“So… who cares what you ‘really are’. If you were a…” She throws her hands into the air, “If you had Kitsune, Wolfskin, Dragon, and Human blood running throughout your body, I’d still love you all the same. You’re my sister. If you want to think of yourself a human, go for it! A Wolfskin? Feel free to! I just want  **you**  to be happy.” She takes a breath, “And  **that**  is why I pressed you back then… Lupus. Corrin. Sister… What do  **you**  want? I want to help you, but unless you tell me what  **you**  want, then I can’t really do much.”

That fiery determination that Lupus knows Hina for is back, strong as ever… and giving her an intense spicy smell. “What if I want causes me to never go back to my family again? What if what I want ends up causing all other humans to leave? If you never see me again? If…”

She grimaces, “It would hurt. It’d hurt all of us… but, if that’s what you want.” She moves closer on her own choice, then parts the rest of Lupus’s hair. “I will always consider you my sister. I… understand you weren’t raised the same, that there are rules you don’t know about, that you don’t follow.” Hina pulls her hair back behind her ears, showing their pointed nature… and how they are slightly drooped. Sadness. “I understand we may never see each other as true sisters because of that, but I’m never going to hold it against you.” Still holding Lupus’s hair, she moves behind her and starts forming it into a style. “You were a baby when you were taken from us, events were out of your control. You simply aren’t the same person that we lost all the way back then.” Lupus feels Hina tug on her hair in several places. “But, I know you are my little sister… that somewhere inside you is the old ‘Corrin’.” Another tug, “But, if you would rather be called ‘Lupus’ and stay with the pack, then I’ll respect that decision… because you have matured since then. You are making your own decisions.” Pat, one more tug, and another pat.

Lupus reaches back and touches her hair, since it isn’t hitting the water… she feels a ‘tail’ of sorts. “Sister…”

“That’s called a ‘ponytail’, but uh… I could’ve done better. There are a lot of loose strands.”

“‘Ponytail’.” She echoes, “It feels weird… not having my hair going down over me.” Yet, she smiles, “But… it does feel nice.”

“So… I’ll ask again: Sister, what do  **you**  want?” Hina rubs Lupus’s back.

“...Would it be okay if I answered later? So I can think it over?”

“Sure thing!”

“Hina?”

“Yes, sister?”

“I’m glad I got to meet my family… even if I am different and hardheaded.” She turns and smiles. “Thank you.”

She casually shrugs, “We’re family, we look out for each other.”

“Family.” Lupus nods as she looks forward again. “I love my family…” A short pause, “And the pack, and Ka-da and Silky and Seta and Vella and Keaty and…”

“You love everyone who’s been nice to you?” Hina interrupts her.

She giggles with another nod, “Pretty much.” Lupus relaxes as Hina starts applying some pressure on her back, “Oh.. so now this is a massage? Mmm…”

“Well duh… I never felt anyone so tense before, but…” She pauses, “That’s because you always have to be ready, right?”

“Yep, always need to be…  **ah!** ” Lupus squeals as Hina suddenly turns the massage into a tackle, pushing her under water for just a few seconds.

“Ha… ha!” Hina laughs aloud. “I got you!”

“Oh… you really wanna do this now?” Lupus crouches.

“I’m stronger than I was before, sister. Don’t think you’ll get me so easily this time.” She takes her own stance… one far different than any other she used before. Still, it’s a good thing that adrenaline is pumping or else, well…

Hina would realize she’s still naked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to end with Sakura’s scene, but… I felt like it needed another scene, so I decided on Lupus! And, well…
> 
> Oh look, another six pages in my Google docs. Anyhoo…
> 
> It seems as if Keaty is learning rather quickly, yeah? Maybe he has some sort of hidden intellect boost. And then, woah woah… if only Keaty realized what that ruby means in human terms as a gift. Could he really be trying his hand… er, paw at courting? Or is it just a coincidence?
> 
> Kaden and Kagero lying under a tree, N-A-P-P-I-N-G. First comes sleepies, then comes brushing, and now here comes a heart-felt hug!
> 
> Erm, now then… Leo is… lying? To his own people? Keep in mind that also meant he lied right at Camilla. Maybe this fic’s version of Leo has a whole lot more honor?
> 
> Sakura! Oh, oh… you poor woman. Staying hungry, thirsty, having magic forced into her and now she’s even pulsed out with Dark Magic. What could Iago be planning? But wait! In comes Leo with a sincere promise, let’s just hope his plans aren’t found out beforehand.
> 
> And at last, Lupus. So, we go from a ‘standard’ greeting from Vella, to bringing up the kiss to Dadaan to… hair grooming and then… to going to the lake. Which leads to another recurring argument about Lupus’s human family to, oh dear.
> 
> Vella plucked out Lupus’s matching feather for Seta. No, I did not forget about the feather.
> 
> So now Lupus only goes with Hina to the lake, where the Pegasus Knight experiences her, probably first, cold wash. And once more, the topic of ‘what am I?’ comes from Lupus. Believe me, I didn’t just put that in there for word count, this is something she’s still struggling with.
> 
> And finally, it ends with another light-hearted ending. The pack has had quite a number of days without much worry. Hm...


	42. Bait and Switch

Takumi strolled from his usual day-to-day spot, which is the training grounds, over to the meeting room that mother has been spending an increasing amount of time at. Now, while he doesn’t attend these meetings himself, he has the distinct feeling that more of them has to do with Nohr and the encroaching war. He can tell the difference, he knows…

Mother is sometimes struggling to stay lucid.

Which means more conduits are falling, more magical stress on her.

He stops and knocks on the door, or he would have, had the doors not open on their own. “Lord Takumi.” Yukimaru, Hoshido’s best tactician, maybe even the best in the world, greets him with a stern frown. “Please, enter.”

“Thank you.” He nods as he enters. The first thing he notices is just how tired mother is, “Mother?”

Yet, she still manages to smile at him, “Hello, son.” She takes a breath. “I hope your day is going well.”

...and always a mother first. “Pretty good so far, I made eighty-eight bullseyes out of ninety-nine.”

She nods, “That does sound wonderful, I’m glad.” A pause, “Son? Please, come and look over the map.”

“Of course, mother.” He walks over and he hears Yukimaru keep pace behind him, though when he gets to the actual table, the tactician stands on the other side. “You wanted to tell me something?”

She takes a breath, then… “Yukimaru? If you don’t mind?”

“Understood.” So instead, he gestures towards a number of ‘x’ dotted across Hoshido, they are all relatively close to the border. “The Nohrians have been taking down more of our conduits, and as I’m sure you could tell, the stress on Her Highness is starting to overwhelm her, which in turn means that the Nohrians can keep using this ‘anti-barrier’ spell that allows them to attack Hoshidans while inside Hoshido.” Finger goes on the main road linking Hoshido and Nohr, “Several platoons of nothing but magic focused units are piled up, who are continuously assaulting the barrier with their own magic.”

“I… won’t be holding it… much longer.” Mother supplies as she pulls a nearby chair closer to her, then proceeding to sit down.

“What about my family? How are they faring?”

“Princess Corrin and Princess Hinoka are still in the pack. High Prince Ryoma has since made a full recovery and…” He smiles, “We had a successful exchange, Princess Sakura is at the Hoshidan outpost with the others. Though… her retainer, Hana, probably won’t ever make a full recovery, as pieces of her chest armor are too embedded in her.”

“Gods, Sakura.” Takumi breathes a sigh of relief. “Is she alright? How is she…”

He pulls out a sheet of paper, “‘When Princess Sakura was escorted back to the base camp and received a medical check-up: she showed signs of undernourishment, increased anxiety which amounts much more than what she normally has, and she is sometimes unable to properly sleep. However, all it took were a few days of specially prepared meals and the undernourishment has faded, and it has also contributed towards better sleeping. The higher levels of anxiety has remained.’” He finishes.

They… starved her? And gods only know what kind of torture she might have endured. Takumi takes a deep breath, willing himself calm. “Understood.” Is all he replies with.

“Son?” Mother speaks up, “Prepare your gear and…” Another breath.

“Please, allow me.” Yukimaru starts, “Lord Takumi, you are to travel to the border with your retainers.”

“Alright, I can be ready in an hour.” He has a good idea on what’s about to be said, too.

The tactician looks at the queen, who nods, “By Her royal decree… we are to finish off all remaining war preparations. By no later than the week’s end, war will be declared.”

And he assumed correctly. “Good, I can snipe those monsters that dared touch my family.” He nods.

“I’ll… be dropping the barrier… when the army arrives.” She announces. “Just a few more days.”

“And when you do, make sure you get plenty of rest, okay?” Takumi asks.

She has a small smile, “I will, son. But… one more thing.” She rises, and opens her arms, “Come here, please…”

“Really? In front of… oh, alright.” He briefly complains, before moving to accept her hug.

* * *

Hana stretches, briefly grimacing in pain as her chest protests… those metal shards won’t ever come out. She’s forever injured. Still, that won’t prevent her from doing her duties as a retainer, it’s just something she has to work around. Katana, armor… with an extra leather padding under her chest armor. It limits her movements even more, but if something were to press against her chest again, she risks having those shards push even further in.

Something like that damn wolf.

Princess Hinoka is still stuck in ‘the pack’. She would say the same for Princess Corrin, but it’s clear that woman isn’t her… the real Princess Corrin is gone, dead.

Katana’s hilt gripped tighter, Hana frowns. She then unsheathes her weapon and readies herself for another round of training. “Hyaaah!” Slice, slice, stab, she begins her routine. Her chest is already starting its complaints again, but she pushes through it.

“Don’t stress yourself too much.” She halts mid swing.

“Subaki.” She greets without turning.

“I understand your need to stay at your top performance, but don’t forget about…”

“I know!” Hana… hasn’t exactly dropped the ‘duties of a retainer’ topic she argued about with him. “I’m aware of my new boundaries.”

“I’m simply concerned for your well-being, how would…”

“Don’t say it.” She rounds on him, “Don’t you dare try and guilt me by using our liege’s name.”

“I don’t seek to get into this argument again, Hana.” He sighs.

“Um… hello?” Lady Sakura walks up, looking as nervous as ever since she returned.

“My liege!” Hana’s mood goes up, “It’s good to see you!”

“Lady Sakura…” Subaki bows.

“U-um…” Lady Sakura takes a breath, “I w-was going t-t-to take a walk… w-w-would you c-care to join m-me?” She smiles.

“Of course!” Hana quickly replies.

Subaki hesitates, because it’s clear he isn’t a ‘perfect’ retainer. “I-it’s okay if y-you don’t want to…” She trails off.

“Oh no, it’s not that, my liege. But… now? The Nohrians are able to send increasing numbers of…”

“And now you’re doubting Her Highness’s barrier?” Hana asks.

“Hana, I encountered at least a platoon’s worth of soldiers while in…”

“Let me guess, ‘the pack’? Face it, those wolves had it coming.” She huffs.

“Lady Hinoka is with ‘those wolves’, Hana. Are you…”

“Don’t turn this around on me!”

“Pl-please stop.” Lady Sakura gently intervenes. “I-I’ll just go w-with Hana…”

Subaki raises an eyebrow, but Hana smiles. “Well, I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Do enjoy yourselves.” Subaki, almost forces out. “I shall be here.”

Lady Sakura nods, then turns to Hana, “Let’s go, o-okay?”

“Alright!” Hana takes her place beside Lady Sakura, as she should.

* * *

Kagero slowly opens her eyes… is she indulging herself too much? The thought crosses her mind as she lifts her head off of Kaden’s resting body. She has never felt so rested, and that allows her to serve her liege better, so she shouldn’t feel any guilt for it, but… no. It’s not because of the benefits, but because of how she’s treating this.

As an arrangement, instead of a kind Kitsune who just wants more friends.

Kagero rises and stretches, “...Hey, Kagero?” The Nine-tails asks.

She didn’t miss the change in his tone, “Is there something I can help you with?”

Swish, his Nine-tail’s… well, nine tails move around, each in its own direction and speed. “I… hate to sound like I know better than others but…” He huffs. “Or maybe it’s because none of you have been able to use the same ‘shampoo’ and ‘soaps’ as you normally can, but…”

“Kaden?”

“I mean, a lot of you smell more… ‘natural’ and that’s something I really like, but…” He seems really bothered.

“I’m afraid that smell will only get worse… especially if war is declared.”

“Saku smells really different.” He gets to the point. “I mean, I only really had a few chances to sniff, back at the castle. I can’t place that one ‘portion’ of her scent.”

“Perhaps it came from her imprisonment?” Kagero suggests.

“Hmm… maybe.” Kaden nods. “I suppose that makes sense. I don’t really know what Nohr smells like.” His tails still and those beautiful light-blue orbs slow down… which means he’s getting calmer. Kagero blinks her eyes, she  **has**  been spending a lot of time with him. She can tell some of his moods solely through his tail and those ‘Foxfire’ orbs.

“Kagero?” Subaki walks up. “I hate to bother you, but I couldn’t find Saizo and…” He takes a breath.

“You’re really bothered, buddy… what’s wrong?” Kaden asks.

“I’ve been taking note of Lady Sakura’s behavior, and…” He pauses, “I’m worried about how deeply rooted her pain is. It has literally changed her routines.”

Kagero looks from Kaden to Subaki. “She hasn’t been spending as much time in the clinic.” Kagero confirms. “Though I always thought that had to do with the residual effects of that… ‘mage-bane’ toxin she was injected with.” One of things Lady Sakura informed the Hoshidans of was this toxin that, according to Iago, literally burns the magic out of someone’s body, then causes a similarly intense burn whenever they attempt to cast magic.

Subaki nods, “It’s not just her less frequent clinic visits…” He rubs the back of his neck, “Lady Sakura is going to take a walk with Hana, and gave the warning of potential Nohrians, since the barrier is weakening.”

“All conduits within ten miles of the border have been destroyed.” Kagero supplies. “I’m afraid we’re at the point where the magical stress is starting to overcome Her Highness.”

A pause, “Kagero? Could you… shadow Lady Sakura during her walk?”

“Pardon me?” She tilts her head.

“I did say I warned her, but… both Hana cut me off and Lady Sakura seemed confident it wouldn’t happen…”

“Which is strange, considering her confinement.” Kagero picks up. “Understood. Just allow me to inform my liege and…”

“I’ll do it for you.” Kaden offers. “I wanna help.”

The Ninja smiles, “Thank you… friend.” Subaki raises an eyebrow at the term, “I’ll take my leave, and I’ll be sure to report any odd behavior.”

“Thank you, Kagero.” With one more set of nods, Kagero vanishes and sets off to follow Hana and Lady Sakura.

* * *

“Achoo!” Hina sneezes. “Gods…”

Lupus hands Hina some more cloth. “I’m sorry.” She frowns.

She shakes her head and smiles, “No, it’s not your fault.” Hina holds herself near the fire, “I chose to stay in longer than I should’ve.” Hina has gotten ‘a cold’ from their time in the lake, something Lupus has only gotten a few times, but that was during intense snowfalls. “Hey… by the way.” Hina pauses as she sneezes again, “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but where are you getting these cloths at? Subaki didn’t…”

“They’re cloths.” Lupus nods.

“I know that.”

“Then you know where they came from.”

“Sister…” Hina sighs. “Where did the cloths come from?”

She points at the most recently discarded one, “That came from Vella,” She then points at the one in Hina’s hand, “That came from Keaty.”

Hina tilts her head, “I don’t get it. Do you all just have random scraps of cloth?”

“Huh? No. It’s torn clothing.”

Hina looks at the cloth in her hand, then at Lupus. “Please tell me these aren’t undergarments.”

“What? No… we don’t wear those.” Lupus shamelessly reminds Hina, then proceeds to look under her own ‘pants’... which basically amounts to ‘short shorts’. “I think the one from Keaty came from his shirt.” She draws a jagged shape on her chest, around her… admittedly noticeable cleavage. “Right around here.”

By all means, if Lupus actually took the time to clean herself up, she would be desirable by human standards. She’s tough, but in a more lean way, which allows her to keep her more feminine figure. The last few months have been her ‘human’ growth spurt for womanhood. Her chest has definitely become more pronounced. “Oh, okay.” Hina nods… then sneezes. “Can you at least get a bra?”

“Bra?” She echoes, “Oh, that piece that goes over… here?” For emphasis, she  **pulls down**  her shirt slightly.

“Sister!” Hina looks away, her face is burning. “Gods, decency!”

“Huh? Oh, right.” She puts it back in place. “Anyway, why do I need a bra?” She looks back down at her breasts.

“Because, well… that’s just what we do.”

Lupus looks unconvinced. “Better reason.”

“Because…”

“You don’t even know, do you?” Lupus smiles. “Sister, I’ve done a lot of things your way, now how about you do things my way?”

“I’m not taking off my bra.”

“C’mon, just for a few days.”

“No.” Hina remains stubborn. “That’s just wrong.”

“One day?”

“Just… stop, okay?”

Lupus huffs, then pulls out her most powerful move in her moveset… she pouts. “It’s not fair… I was willing to do all of these things that I never really wanted to do or that I…”

“You didn’t even bother trying on those shoes.” Hina points out, somehow managing to best Lupus’s pout. “Or the underwear or bra.”

“I did to!”

“For what, a few seconds?” Hina smirks.

“They were really uncomfortable, which is why you should take yours off.” Lupus nods, more to herself. "One hour."

"No." Hina shakes her head, “Forget it, sister. I’m not doing that.”

“Lupus.” Keaty walks in, “Scouting group, go.”

Without a single complaint, Lupus walks out… well, it has been a while since she’s properly gotten out and about. The last few days in the pack have been… quiet. “Lupus.” This time it’s Dadaan. “Ready?”

“Just… us?” She looks around.

“We don’t have much distance we can safely cover… it’s either we’re getting too close to the border and the Nohrian humans, or we are getting too close to the relatively close hamlets.” He explains, “So, the alpha has been sending scouting groups with just two.”

“Oh…” Lupus nods, “Alright, I’m ready to go.” He dashes off and she’s quick to follow. Then she takes a breath of the surrounding forest… it’s just so right. So good smelling. The wind, the leaves…

Dadaan.

Lupus can clearly see one of his purple patches of fur on his back, oh… and she knows how soft his fur can get. However, she resists the urge to stroke it, as there is work to do. “...Lupus.” He says as they go from a jog to a walk.

“Yeah?”

“Alpha wants to… ‘test’ me.” He admits, sounding far more vulnerable than earlier.

Test him? “I don’t get it.”

“He’s… willing to give me the right to mate if I win.”

She is now tilting her head, “Okay?” Wow Keaty… you really are changing things. “Why are you…”

“I mean, the right to mate… with  **you** .” He adds.

“Oh… well, to be honest. If I had a choice, I’d rather want a different male than Keaty… he’s a brother to me, and it just ‘feels’ weird to think about mating with a brother.”

“I don’t know if I want to.”

“To… mate with me?” She asks.

“I don’t want to treat you just as a bitch… I want to be able to provide for your human life, too.” Thump, thump, thump. “Alpha’s been learning the ‘consent’ and ‘marriage’ things from Hina and… I think that’s what I want.”

_“And what do_ **_you_ ** _want?”_  Once more, Hina’s question pops in her mind.

“But, if you’d rather keep this as beastfolk…”

“Okay.” Lupus cuts him off. “Erm, I meant for the marriage thing.”

“You will?”

She nods, “It’ll be different, learning all of those things, but… there’s that part of me that really wants to. If you’re willing to learn, then I’m willing to learn.” A step closer.

“Then I suppose…” A half step closer.

Then a scream. “Let go!” Is what Lupus’s keen ears pick up.

She then moves towards the sound, but Dadaan stops her, “That’s outside of our territory!” He  **growls** .

A sick laughter follows, “G-gods!” Someone shouts.

“They need help!” She rounds on him.

“We aren’t to…”

“ **Kaden** !” A third voice screams… for help.

“ **Silence, bitch** !” The one that laughed shouted that one.

“You  **dare**  impersonate Lady Sakura, Imma…”

“Lupus! We’re…”

Lupus doesn’t know what ‘impersonate’ means, but that voice said Saku. “Then you can run back… but  **I’m**  helping!” She charges forward, leaving behind a conflicted Wolfskin.

“That third one almost did us in…” She hears one say.

“That’s why there should always be back-up.” It’s the one that laughed. “Go! Go! Faster!”

Halt, look, listen. Lupus pokes her head out into a small clearing… then almost fails to stop herself from yelping.

Kagero, Superman, Hana… All three are unconscious and bound, being carried away by humans. She manages to keep herself from growling, she needs to… “Ah, ah, ah…” One, two… three? Four?! No less than five humans seem to appear out of nowhere. “Well, look who it is…” White hair, eyepatch… it’s the one she used that water stream on, the one who had a hole in his chest. He then whistles. “Keep going… we’ll make sure this one is properly bound.

“Alive, Niles.” One of the soldiers say, a man with gray hair and… Lupus, for some unnamed reason, breath catches as she eyes this man’s sword. She’s never seen one like it, she doesn’t know what it is, but she instinctively knows it would be almost a guaranteed death to get hit by it.

“Heh… says the one with the Wyrmslayer. Honestly Laslow…”

“Milady, please… just stand down.” Laslow interrupts him. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

One archer, one with a ‘Wyrmslayer’, two axes, and one with a lance. She… too many. “Oh, this is wonderful! We get to bag a  **second**  Princess…” Niles smirks.

Breathe, breathe… stop thinking about the… she can’t. That Wyrmslayer is practically forcing her to stare at it, to make sure she knows  **exactly**  where it is. Is… is this the same fear that a Beast Killer gives off? “Princess Corrin, please… kneel down and hold your hands up.” Laslow presses.

What can she do? Another calming breath, clear mind… goals set. “Where’s Saku?” Lupus finds her voice. “Where are you taking  **them** ?!” Sure, Hana wasn’t exactly nice to her… sure, Kagero is one of those Ninjas, but they are, by all means, part of the family. ‘Retainers’.

“Are you interested? Well, feel free to come along.” Niles goads. “Drop the Dragonstone.” Lupus gulps, slowly raises her hand over to the clasp of her necklace… then abruptly yanks down and tears ‘it’ off.

Except that the ‘it’ is her shirt. Male musk up, it gives her just a second’s distraction, but in a lifestyle where even the smallest of moments can be the difference, that one second is all she needs. Lupus points her right arm at the nearest soldier, who is holding an axe, instantly impaling him with a summoned lance arm. She then forms her maw and snaps it around the one holding a lance, pulls him closer, and delivers a kick that cracks his chest… not killing him, but keeping him out of the fight. She then forms her head armor. Lastly, she readies her maw and lance once more.

All of that happened in that one second’s distraction.

“Wh-what  **is**  that monster!?” The second axe holder cowers in fear, “Nobody said we’re fighting a  **monster** !” He ran.

Lupus holds her place, she needs to be on the offensive for Niles, but that Wyrmslayer Laslow holds will force her to play defensively… which effectively gives Niles more than enough time to back up for more shots.

“Once more chance, Lady Corrin.” Laslow takes his own stance. “We can take you to Princess Sakura.”

“Laslow…” Niles tuts, “It’s more fun if they fight back.” Then he fires an arrow, which hits her maw… she can feel the impact, but the arrow isn’t strong enough to pierce it. Lupus would have charged to close the distance, but Laslow already stepped in front of her, that damn blade in hand.

“Ngh…” Lupus yelps as Niles scores an arrow as she is forced to just keep moving away from Laslow. Her vision briefly blurs as she feels a blunt object hit her backside… there’s  **more** ?!

“Tch, it’s taking you two way too long.” Lupus recognizes that voice.

“Don’t let your guard down, she’s still a serious threat.” Emotionless.

“Oh-ho… she’s right. A cornered beast is the most dangerous…” From her left side walks A Lady Camilla. “Or would this be a cornered dragon?”

Scaling, dehorning, declawing… decorations. Lupus takes an unconscious step back as those vivid images return… an insane human using her dragon body as decorations. Of course, it doesn’t help that Laslow has that Wyrmslayer. “Then let’s hurry up!” Red hair, feisty… Selena, was it? “The sooner we…”

Howling, followed by another, yet the second one is more quiet… “Don’t worry darlings, I brought plenty…” A Lady Camilla’s wyvern, which looks completely different than the last time she saw her, has a sack on its side… Beast Killers. Laslow takes a step closer and the blade is now only just touching her skin, but…

She whines, it  **burns**  as it is slicing through her. He isn’t even trying to cut her, but it’s slicing through her anyway.

Slam, Dadaan rams into Niles, pressing him into the ground, then proceeding to pick him up and throw him across the grounds. “Dadaan?” He growls at her.

Lances are pointed at him, and he stills, trying to figure out the best way to fight. Keaty? Vella? Did… he even go back? No, he just hesitated on following her, as there is no fresh scent of any of the pack on him. What was…

One, two, three, Beast Killers are yanked out by yellow and white blurs. Three Ka-das spit the Beast Killers out of their mouths. “Yaaay~! Playtime!” The cheerful voice of Silky exclaims as she tackles Laslow. With the distraction of the Kitsunes, Dadaan closed the distance between him and Beruka. Lupus quickly turned on her heel and used her maw to snap down on Selena’s arm. Two of the Ka-das dash into Camilla’s new wyvern, one slamming into it, and the other skillfully ripping into its neck.

“Foxfire, recall.” Two of the three Ka-das turn into balls of blue fire, then he manages his top speed in just a single bound, before slamming Camilla to the ground. Niles is unconscious, with his body next to a broken tree. Lupus is pretty sure he’s dead. “I’m not letting you walk…” Ka-da growls.

“If you kill me…” A Lady Camilla starts. “There will…”

“Be a satisfying meal.” He cuts her off.

“L-Lady Camilla!” Selena exclaims as bones start to crunch from Lupus’s maw. “Let go you…  **Ah** !” Twist, pull, grab. Selena’s arm is turned to an awkward angle as Lupus’s lance arm turns back into a normal arm, then proceeds to grab Selena and pin her to the ground with her foot.

Laslow has let go of his sword as Silky continues to pin him down. “Aw… that’s all?”

“...” Beruka remains silent as Dadaan’s massive Wolfskin paw covers her entire chest, pinning both arms, and reaching down to her waist.

Lupus looks from one to the other, then back to Selena, who is trying and failing to remove Lupus’s leg. “Sh-she weighs more than… I don’t even know!” Crack, her breastplate starts to give into her foot. “She can break metal with her  **foot** ?!”

And as if to prove himself better, Dadaan’s foot-paw completely shatters Beruka’s chestpiece. “...” yet, she remains stubbornly silent, even as blood starts pouring.

“I don’t care about the rest.” It’s Ka-da who speaks up. “I’m taking Princess Camilla back, the humans can get more use out of her alive.” One, two, three… five. Five of his nine tails wrap around her at various points. One for each arm and leg, then one around her neck… then he starts dragging her. “I’m glad you’re well, Lupus.” Is the last thing he says as he leaves.

“Dadaan?” Lupus asks, “What should…?”

“Hey! Wanna play a game?” Silky smiles at Laslow. “It’ll be fun, real fun.”

“I, uh…”

“It’s called ‘Play with Prey’.” She cuts him off, “I let you go, you run, and I chase after you… if you can get out of my territory, then you live. If you don’t, I get to do whatever I want with you! Sounds fun, right?" Though she doesn't actually wait for a response, "Alright, three, two, one…  **go** !” She hops off of him… and steps on his Wyrmslayer. “C’mon, go! Go! Won’t be fun if you stay, no. Gotta run fast!” Without needing anymore prodding, Laslow bolts up and runs. “Alright, humans slow, so I wait for one… two… three…” Silky starts counting.

“You know the answer, Lupus. They attacked the pack.” Dadaan finally replies as Silky still counts.

“Don’t think…” Selena starts.

“Uh… what’s after ten and two?” Silky asks, “Ah, forget it… here I come!” She finally runs off. "Oh, right! See you later, Lu-pu!"

A crack echoes from Beruka’s spot and the woman is now limp and… “He wasn’t dead?” Dadaan looks to where the broken tree and where Niles  **was**  at. The archer must be a lot tougher than he lets on. “Lupus. Hurry up. Need to leave.”

“Whaddya waiting for? Or do you think I’m going to change my views just become I’m down?” Selena spits out.

“I don’t care what you think, human.” Lupus finally says, “You, your retainer buddy, and A Lady Camilla tried to kill my family, the pack… so, blood for blood.” Lupus moves her foot over a bit so that Selena’s upper chest is not being blocked off.

“Yeah? Well…” Gush, drop. Lupus forms her lance once more, impaling Selena’s heart.

“...You hesitated.” Dadaan points out. “She could have…”

“I don’t like killing.” Lupus declares. “It feels wrong, even when I have to.” She pauses and shakes her head, “Let’s go back.” She glances at the trail where Kagero, Hana, and Superman were taken, “I’m also going to visit the Hoshidan base camp, so they know where the trail starts.” Dadaan shifts back and he starts his run. Lupus follows up.

“Yaaaay~! I win!” She hears Silky yell from  **somewhere**  in the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update from the castle and... ow. Queen Mikoto is running out of magical juice. Welp, war is going to be declared soon, and she’s going to end up dropping the barrier completely.
> 
> Ah, Hana… glad to see your excitement for having ‘Sakura’ back only causes you to look past the flaws…
> 
> Unlike Subaki, oh and it seems like Kagero noticed some things to… and of course Kaden knew something was up. As for why Subaki is in the abduction scene, but ‘Sakura’ said only her and Hana, well… he didn’t exactly follow her orders, did he?
> 
> Kagero is addicted to Kaden’s fur~! But, can you really blame her? Though, on the other hand, calling him a friend like that…
> 
> Poor Hina has a cold, hopefully that won’t last too long. Then there is Lupus, bringing up more human stuff, like why wear a bra? And… also had to make sure we don’t forget that Lupus is still quite attractive in human standards. ;)
> 
> Anyway, a scouting trip, that turns into a serious confession moment with Dadaan… that turns into a fight and witnessing Kagero, Hana, and Subaki being taken. Oh yes, the start of that fight… with Lupus tearing off her shirt, nice move. Nothing like a pair of breasts to distract men, am I right
> 
> So, now Camilla has been taken… again, but this time this was not part of the plan. Two more deaths, Selena and Beruka. Niles escaped, because why not. Aaaand…. Laslow has become a plaything for Selkie.


	43. Preparations to Taking a Stand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Plop, plop, screech, clatter. Kagero opens her eyes and goes to rub them, except that she can't… shackles… what? No, wait, that's right. She blinks a few times and can see two sets of iron bars between her and Subaki. Imprisoned by… right. It was a trap, that wasn't Princess Sakura.

 _"I-I-It's such a n-nice night…"_  'Lady Sakura' fiddled with her dress.

She rarely went anywhere without her Festal. She would never skip out on so much time in the clinic. "Ngh…" She grunts. Should've noticed sooner, the signs were there… it wasn't the 'treatment of Nohr' that was different, it was illusion-style magic. Which means Nohr never returned Lady Sakura in the first place. She berates herself for not noticing…

She tells herself she shouldn't have spent so much time with Kaden.

 _"Why are you giving me this?"_  Kaden tilted his head at Kagero's torn scarf piece.

 _"You have enhanced senses, right? This is in case something goes wrong while I'm following Hana."_  She reached out and gave it to him,  _"I'm taking all scenarios into account."_

He leveled a serious look, far different from the normally energetic and upbeat Kaden she's grown to know.  _"I don't like how you're…"_

 _"I need to go. My apologies, but… perhaps we can have that day together some other time?"_  She compromised, taken a breath as he grabbed the piece… then squeezes his hand. She is met with a confused look,  _"Reassurance, comfort…"_  All he replied with a simple nod.

At least… at least Kaden will be able to track them down. Creak, clop, bang, slide. "Kagero, retainer to High Prince Ryoma." Slick, greasy black hair… some kind of half-mask on his face. "You're the first to awake, heh."

"..." Kagero glares back, her face reading suspicion.

"Ah, but before anything else… I'll need to search you, again." He smiles, "Who's to say you weren't awake earlier and tried to make some sort of… primitive weapon?" She stiffens as his hands pats down the clothing she's been forced into… prisoner rags. "And one more spot." Up and into her hair.

"Tch." She spits.

He returns her saliva with an echoing slap, then other hand yanks out several hair pins. "All of those potential lockpicks… Fire." He magically heats them up, then crushes them in his hand. "Enjoy your stay, Kagero." He leaves her cage and walks over to the front of Subaki, then shakes his head. Off to the side, to Hana's, she assumes. "Well, don't you look ashamed?"

"You foul-handed, honorless Nohrian scum!" Hana is quick to bite back.

"Oh my, this one has fight left in her." A pause, "Don't worry, there's something special planned just for you."

"Where's…" She can hear Iago chuckle, "You will…!"

"Shh… she's sleeping, Hana." He replies. "You wouldn't want to wake her up, now would you? She  **does**  need all the strength she can get."

"What do you mean?! Answer me!  **Come back here**!" Iago walks by again, takes a look at Subaki's cell, then leaves.

"I should've noticed." Subaki 'wakes up' just moments later. "The signs were all there." He almost echoes the thoughts Kagero has. "Kagero? Hana?"

"...He took my hairpins, I don't have any means of lockpicking." Kagero admits.

"Go ahead, rub it in." The Samurai follows up. "Must be feeling pretty smug right now, aren't you?"

"No."

"Just another…"

"Hana, please." Kagero interrupts. "You aren't normally this volatile." A pause… wait, if 'Zola' uses Dark Magic… "Hana? Did that Dark Mage ever use magic on you?"

"That piece of…" Hana takes a breath, "Yeah, he did."

"He corrupted your mindset, then. He used magic to amplify your negative traits."

"Underhanded Nohrian…" Hana stops herself. "Now what?"

"We wait."

"For what? Death? We aren't royalty, they would just execute us! Please tell me one of you has a plan?" Desperation.

"Even if we did escape, then what? Even if we somehow made it out, who knows how deep into Nohrian territory we are. Besides, no doubt they have killed my Pegasus." Subaki states.

"I… can't offer any assurances. No weapons, no armor. The chances are far too slim for any reasonable escape." Kagero adds.

Soon after that, a groan was heard, "...huh?" Soft, gentle. "Who's there?"

"Lady Sakura?" Hana and Subaki ask within the same second.

"H-Hana? Subaki? Wh-what…" Kagero can hear her get up… so she isn't shackled, then. "What are you two doing here?" She sounds… hoarse, like her throat is dried up. "He… tr-tried to say… you… left me."

"Who?" Hana is the first to ask.

"King's… Tactician. Iago." Sakura answers, "But, fine… we'll be… fine." Huh?

"I'm sorry? I think I misheard you." Kagero says.

"Who…?"

"Kagero, Lady Sakura." A short pause, "What do you mean, 'we'll be fine'?"

"Just… that." She replies, "We'll be fine. He'll… return." Coughing follows, "So… tired."

"Lady Sakura?" Hana asks, "Who's this 'he'?"

The next two words that came out of her mouth were probably the last two words any of the three was expecting, "Prince Leo."

* * *

Lupus is, once more, playing fast and rough with Dadaan whilst partially shifted. She has come to enjoy this type of fighting… even if she doesn't like actually killing. The previous alpha claimed that drawing blood was one of the highest, most satisfying things there is. This is probably the only thing Lupus fully disagrees on. She didn't kill those soldiers for 'the thrill', she killed them because if she didn't, she would have suffered.

She likes play-fighting. She enjoys hunting animals every now and then. If it's necessary for survival, she can handle it… but other than that? This 'war' isn't required, it's just humans being… greedy. Another 'check' for preferring to be part of the pack.

Duck, weave, stab. Lupus avoids a set of swipes as she lands an intentionally glancing strike. See, the problem with Lupus playing rough and fast in her partially shifted form is that her weapons pierce and slash, rather than simply impact. Sure, there are 'healing tonics' and 'Festals' in the supplies, but years of living with the pack demands that everything should be properly managed.

Even with many fruit trees and dozens upon dozens of wildlife hasn't changed their lifestyle.

Anyway, Lupus has learned a few more skills with her partial dragon form. For one, her instincts allow her to reinforce her body before a strike comes in, as she unconsciously shifts that portion to be covered with armored scales. Granted, it wouldn't stop a direct hit from a Wolfskin or prevent gashes from blades, but it would at least keep her bones from cracking or getting gutted, respectively. Which means her fast and rough play-partner won't have to hold back as much.

The second is that she can form more than just a lance and maw with her arms. Pulling both arms in a 'shield'-ish pose forms a much stronger reinforced scale, which  **can**  stop a direct hit from a Wolfskin… maybe not a Wolfsegger though. However, this one scale is quite heavy and she can't have any other 'weapons' out. So, she's basically rooted to the ground with this. Well that and it doesn't go above her neck.

However, there is a slight work-around with this. Instead of both arms, she can simply raise one, which forms a slightly better scale as defense… again, this won't stop a direct hit, but she can still move and use her other arm for offense.

On the topic of offense, she can also shift her legs into… more of a jagged sword? When she kicks, her leg will become a lance-like appendage, but it's also good with swiping like a sword, but it has more of a lance's reach…

Other than that? Well, she can form wings. Her armored helmet comes with horns… something that had to be pointed out to her as she didn't notice. And… that's really it, for now.

Lance gone, arm up, and Lupus manages to deflect an incoming strike… she can feel the pain pulse throughout her arm, but at least nothing's broken. She returns his punch with a snap from her maw, again, nothing too deep. She readies another lance and…

"Yield." Dadaan huffs, tired, weakened. He then shifts back, showing off his new set of cuts and 'bites', with the latter being from her summoned maw. "Heh, you might be better off doing this with the alpha."

Lupus shifts the rest of her body back to normal, "I'd rather do it with you. You're more fun and exciting and it gets me going faster and hotter and…"

A cough as Hina happens to be walking by, her face is now, for whatever reason, as red as her hair. "Sister." She, tries to, calmly greet.

"Hello, sister." Lupus smiles, "What's wrong?"

"The… way you just used your words." She looks away.

"Huh? About how Dadaan makes me feel better than Keaty when we play fast and rough?"

"Yes… that." Hina nods.

"The alpha is stronger, so if I can't provide a good enough…"

"If I wanna keep doing it fast and rough with  **you** , then that's what I'm gonna do!"

"Sister, please. Stop saying it like that." Hina takes a breath, "You're making it sound like you're talking about sex."

"Really?" Lupus tilts her head, "Have you ever had it rough and fast? 'Cause when Seta and I did it, it was slow and gentle."

"No, I never had sex." Hina sighs. "Could we please talk about something else?"

"Why are you so embarrassed about it?" She continues to prod, "Are you worried you won't know what to do? I can give you some advice for it."

"...I need to go." Hina walks away.

Lupus looks at Dadaan, then shrugs, "Watcha wanna do now?"

"Alpha hasn't called for anything, so…" He trails off.

"Cloud gaze?" Lupus suggests, remembering her time with Seta.

"Cloud… gaze?" He echoes, confused.

She quickly nods with a smile, "Yeah, c'mon…" As if on instinct, she grabs his hand… she slightly flushes.

He remains unbothered. Human thing, after all. "Alright?" Lupus leads Dadaan to a patch of grass that looks extra comfy… but it feels like as if anywhere she sits next to him will be comfortable… in fact. "Here?" He stops, "Now what?"

"We… sit down and just look up at the clouds." Lupus's eyes follow Dadaan as he takes a hesitant seat… so, she does the next thing she feels is right. She sits down on him, her body pressed up against his body. Her hind quarters rubbing against his inner legs. Her breathing suddenly quickens as she feels his body heat quickly go into her. "Mmm…" Seta… wasn't this warm, was she?

"Lupus?" Dadaan asks… causing her to feel the rumble of his voice. So right, so right.

_"What do_ **_you_ ** _want?"_

What does she want? She turns and looks at Dadaan… who isn't the alpha, who wouldn't have the right to mate with her.

_"What if what I want causes me to never see you all again?"_

"Dadaan?" Lupus replies.

_"It isn't about what the female wants, it's about what the male wants."_

"I thought we were 'cloud gazing'?"

_"Times change."_

"I want to do something else instead."

_"The alpha's word is final."_

"Like what?"

_"The alpha isn't always right."_

"You." She breathes, moving closer.

"Lupus, you know I…" Silence, kiss. "Can't."

One hand pressed against his chest, the other behind him, she stares at him with a lustful gaze… no heat here, just one wanting… needing the touch of another. "Then I'll fight to have you right now. I'll stand by you."

Hesitant, unsure, "The alpha… Keaty, he…"

"I don't…"

"Is right behind you." He finishes.

...huh? Lupus turns back around, and sure enough, stands an agitated Keaty. Wait, no… ears down, tail still… fangs bared? Angry? Why is he so… "We haven't had our duel, Dadaan." Keaty forcefully grabs Lupus by the shoulder and pulls her away.

"Alpha… I thought she just wanted…"

"You should've stopped her, then." He cuts him off. "Perhaps I've given you too much control?"

"Keaty, I…"

"Quiet, Lupus." He rounds on her. "Dadaan, up. Shift."

"He's wounded!" Lupus exclaims.

This time when he looks at her, he stares her down. Not Keaty the brother. Keaty the alpha. "Go to Vella, go to your den, go to Hina. I don't care which. Just leave." He then turns back to Dadaan. "Shift."

"...Of course." He does that and Keaty follows up. "I'm ready." They both take their stance and Lupus steps back.

"Hmph." Dadaan can't 'prove himself' if he's already been cut and slashed! That much is obvious from the first hit, in which Keaty lands a glancing blow on Dadaan's arm, and in terms of Wolfessger versus a Wolfskin, means that Dadaan staggers and he nearly howls.

 _"I'll stand by you."_  She hesitates, even if it means going against an alpha's direct orders?

"Ngh…" Dadaan takes another hit… an almost completely one-sided fight.

No, it isn't. Even if Lupus was raised by Keaty her whole life, even if the pack around him and Keaty himself adapted to Lupus's human habits… outright denying Keaty like that would hold a terrible consequence. So, with a heavy heart and while trying to tune out all sound, she walks away… where? She isn't too sure.

* * *

Kaden uncomfortably stood in the 'war room'. Ryoma is looming over the table with the single most tense body Kaden has ever seen. Then again, if Kaden found out one of his Kitsunes was actually a fake, and that fake caused him to lose Selkie and at least three of his top Kitsunes, Kaden wouldn't hold reserves… as much as he wants to avoid conflict. He knows when the time for peace is past, and this is that time.

Kaden chides himself, wishing he had left sooner.

Instead he simply grips Kagero's scarf piece tighter…  _"In case something happens."_  Is what she told him. And what, this is that 'something'? Kaden feels actual affection for the first time, he opens up in a way he hadn't thought he could before…

And he loses her.

Was his feelings strong enough to be called 'love'? No, probably not, but he does know that he feels a distinct and severe ache in his chest. What  **was**  the difference? Kagero is far from the first person to nap on his fur. She wasn't the first to brush him, to be nice to him… so, what's different about her?

"Lord Ryoma." The one-eye red hair Ninja man appears, "I've successfully managed to discreetly follow and locate where the Nohrians took Hana, Subaki, and Kagero." Wait, was that… pain? Something in his voice changed when he named Kagero. Care?

"Good work, Saizo. The defenses?" Straight to the point… Kaden likes that.

"This seems to be a standard outpost… wooden walls reinforced with some metal and several watchtowers. However, the Nohrians had taken Ninjas into account when they built it, as there are  **many**  traps and wards meant to counter our stealth abilities, and as such, I can't get more details without risking exposure." A short pause, "Though, I can say that I spotted Subaki's Pegasus along the way… she's been shot with several arrows."

"...understood." He stiffly nods, "How far into Nohrian territory is this outpost?"

"The forests get extremely dense quickly… alone I can get there within the hour, but for a platoon? The trees will force us to remain spread out and vulnerable to archers. I also doubt we will be able to get any calvary through. The outpost itself is in a clearing, however."

Dense forests, hm? "Say, Saizo?" Kaden asks, "I don't suppose you noticed any other important spots along the way?"

Then the Ninja replies in a way that Kaden wouldn't expect… "Important to  **you**  or to me?" His tone is covered in… spite? No, that's not it.

"Saizo." Ryoma firmly states.

"Lakes, fruit trees, caves… that kind of stuff." Kaden clarifies. "I'd ask for scents, but…"

Nodding, he closes his eye for a moment, "I heard a stream on my right flank on my way there."

"Large? Wide? Did it sound like the water's running really fast?" Kaden presses.

"I don't see how a stream of water helps." He gripes, before moving over to the map. "We're here." He points at a blue dot. "The outpost is in this area." He grabs a red marker and makes a circle. "So, the stream is in this direction." A blue marker. "Pardon me if I didn't go to get a drink of water."

"Kaden?" Ryoma asks. "Do you know this area?"

"I never used a… 'map'." He frowns, "But, I do know there's a hamlet next to a dense forest with a large stream."

"Wonderful, it's not like there are more than one of those 'dense forests' with a 'large stream'."

"Saizo, that's enough." A short pause, "Dismissed. I'll call you later."

"...Of course, Lord Ryoma." He leaves, but not before shooting a glare at Kaden.

"Please, excuse his behavior, Kaden." Ryoma apologizes. "But, if you don't mind me asking… couldn't you have used your, uh… 'copy' ability to also follow them?"

"Hm? Oh. You mean my Foxfire." He reaches into himself, mentally that is, and summons one, "Something only a Nine-tails can do… it's pretty, isn't it?" A short pause, "And yes, I  **could**  have, but…"

"Would it be too stressful?"

"No, it's not that. Let's see… while I can use my Beaststone all day, every day without worry… Foxfire is kinda like a bladed weapon, these spheres need time to recharge." He has that one ball hover over his hand, "Like right now, it would be a much brighter blue."

"Then… do they break?"

Kaden hesitates. "Of course not." Too secret, too soon. Kaden simply can't trust him with that kind of information. It's far more complicated than simply breaking.

He noticed the pause, but seems to decide against prying. "Well, thank you for informing me. I wouldn't want you to become crippled."

Eager to change the subject, "Saizo likes Kagero, doesn't he?"

Ryoma coughs, "Well, erm…" A pause, perhaps he wasn't expecting such a blunt observation? "He and Kagero were… involved with each other before."

"'Involved'?"

"They were beginning to care for each other, more than just friends. However, their opposing ideals on risk versus duty caused them to respectfully end things."

"Er, sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It isn't my business." Kaden looks away. "I just couldn't help but notice his shift in tone when he mentioned her." A pause, "What side is Kagero on? For that 'risk versus duty'?"

Ryoma forms a straight line with his mouth, "Kagero believes in preserving as many lives as possible, if a mission has a high chance of causing soldiers to die, she'll do everything she can to find another way. Saizo believes that devotion to the cause is more important than the lives involved… 'the needs of the many over the needs of a few'." He takes a breath, "Both are correct in their own ways, it's just… they are also on the extreme side of their views." He looks right at Kaden, "If you were given the choice of risking lives to accomplish a task, what would your answer be?"

"With all due respect, I need more information first. How healthy are my Kitsunes? How many do I have? What would we be fighting against? How many? Are there Beast Killers? Traps?"

Which causes him to smile, "That's the mindset of a true leader, Kaden. It pleases me to know you're taking so much consideration into the important decisions."

"...I was the alpha. I'm the only one who  **can**  make the decisions. The lives of all the Kitsunes in my hamlet are on me." Memories start popping up, ones he wishes he could forget, "And it was my decisions that cost me the last hamlet… Selkie and me are the only ones left of it, and…" His eyes glisten, "If it weren't for Lupus, then Selkie  **would**  be the only one left." Yet another pause, "And if it weren't for you all, then I'd be the only one left, because she would have either died to the Beast Killer toxins that insane giggling woman struck her with, or she would have been too weakened to properly defend herself."

Ryoma stands up straighter, "Kaden. I'm going to make a promise to you right here and right now… for what my words are worth." He takes a deep breath, "The day that this war ends, I will personally assure that all efforts to find and detain those poachers are doubled… tripled, even."

Kaden simply looks, unsure. "What was it… 'actions speak louder than words'?" He recalls, "Don't get me wrong, I want to believe that, but…" His face twists with betrayal, "It was the village that my hamlet primarily traded with… the poachers that killed my hamlet came from there. They gave those killers a place to rest, they gave them weapons.  **They**  killed  **my**  hamlet with materials that  **we**  gave them."

"Then you have every right to doubt me." He nods, "I don't blame you… to have a good relation broken like that. But, if you don't mind me asking… why stay with us? Selkie has healed, and you two are in a conflict that doesn't require your attendance. You aren't part of the Hoshidan army. If you choose to leave, you can do so."

"I never let a debt go unpaid, even now. Sure, Lupus let herself lost control to her dragon form, but looking back… I can understand why she was so eager to shift. Her, you, all of the… 'Royals' have had nothing but good intentions for Selkie and me. And unlike the villages… you guys don't want a single material in return. On top of that, I also want to believe in Lupus's goal… to bring peace between all." Kaden smiles. "So, my skills as a Nine-tails are going to be used for Hoshido and against Nohr…" He looks to the map. "If you don't mind, I'd like to scout out that area. If that hamlet is still there, I can challenge that hamlet's alpha. And  **when**  I win, then we all will be on your side."

Ryoma extends a hand, "Then I look forward to working  **with**  you more, Kaden."

"And I you, Ryoma." One of the few human gestures Kaden understands… he returns the handshake.

* * *

Prince Leo is hunched over the war table, back from his 'mission' and planning his next one. So, how is he going to assist Princess Sakura? He isn't too sure right now. He sighs, he wishes he could do more for her, but that would risk making him seem like he's aiding Hoshido. There's already enough suspicion when he went over to that outpost to 'assess the structure'.

"Ah, hello… my Prince…" Niles walks in, his form… crippled?

"Where have you been? And, gods… why are you bleeding?"

"I was ordered to attend a… rendezvous. As you can see, it didn't end too well."

" **Who**  ordered you?"

"The King himself." He looks rather smug saying that. "Y'know, the only one who can… aside from you, of course."

Leo groans, so Niles will be out… longer. "Fine, fine. What of this 'rendezvous'?"

"Thanks to the efforts of Zola, we now have three more retainers in our possession."

"And how is that 'didn't end too well'?"

"Ah, right…" Niles nods, "I'm no longer 'combat ready'. Beruka and Selena are both dead. Laslow is a… plaything for some Kitsune. And, oh, here's the icing on the cake… Princess Camilla has been re-captured."

"...and this was for three retainers?! What sort of…" Leo's fist hits the table, "That's… insane! Illogical!"

"Oh, and apparently Princess 'Lupus' can use her Dragonstone to make her own body a weapon… complete with head armor, a lance, and a giant maw." He makes some perverted noise, "She also caught us off-guard as… whew. Let me tell you first-hand…"

"No, you will not tell me." Leo's aggravated… angry, even. "Dismissed. Now."

"...As you command, my prince." He walks away with that new limp of his.

"For the love of the gods…" A pause, "Odin!"

"I… have been henceforth summoned by the Dark Lord himself… what is your command?" Leo… simply doesn't care enough to stop his shenanigans this time.

"Since I apparently cannot have access to one of my  **own**  retainers…" Leo sighs, "We're going to have to do this as just us."

"And such the…" Odin stops, "Wait… now?"

"Now. Before another… idiotic move is made."

"With all due respect milord… we don't have enough information."

"And we'll get that information during the next 'mission'. After that, we're making our move." He reaches onto the table and grabs his Divine Weapon. "'Family'," He scoffs, "A father forcing suicidal missions, a big sister who was gambled… again, and is captured… again. A little sister who has more sense than most others here," A pause, "What of Xander?"

"He's mounting a counter-assault onto 'the pack'. An entire platoon." Odin grimaces, "He isn't holding back, either. 'Revenge for those in service to Nohr'."

"Which would be the deaths of four retainers and the capture of a Princess." Leo nods. "'The pack' won't be able to stop that many."

"The plan?"

"How soon?"

"He's getting them properly geared, but we don't have enough Beast Killers… so a few days."

Gods… he's arming  **all**  of them with Beast Killers?! Still, "That gives us time." Leo nods, "We can… I can warn them."

"Milord! You can't… they'll kill you on sight!"

Leo smirks, then pulls a hairband out of a special pouch… one that prevents scents from entering or exiting it. "I can at least make sure there's a familiar scent in the air." It goes back into the pouch. "Princess Sakura's flowery scent should be enough."

"...And if it isn't?" No response as Leo already starts walking, "Milord?"

"Let's move, Odin."

"...Of course."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy… got some pretty big moments coming up. The prison scene was… kinda there. Just showing off that they are actually there… with Princess Sakura. Still, imagine Hana's, Subaki's, and Kagero's surprise when Sakura voices that she believes Prince Leo will save them.
> 
> Ohhhh yea. Lupus. Let there be new abilities for thy partially shifted form. Though, after I wrote down that scene and took a step back… later on I had an epiphany… With the way I'm writing her abilities, I'm getting a heavy '[Prototype]' vibe from it. Lupus, the woman who can shapeshift certain parts of her body as weapons… except that, y'know, she doesn't consume bodies whole to gain biomass. She's Alex Mercer or James Heller… if those characters were actually likable/relatable and weren't mass murderers… and if they were women.
> 
> Er, don't get me wrong, I love both of the [Prototype] games, but I can't help but point out their 'assholery' natures. I also love the first two Infamous games, before that gets brought up, since… y'know, both were released around the same time.
> 
> Anyway… Lupus and Dadaan… and Keaty. Dadaan, Dadaan… you should have been more forceful with her. Alright, to be honest, I wasn't sure at first to have Lupus intervene, but as I thought it over… Keaty was already quite angered. He was too into 'alpha' mode, so if she tried to break it up, then it would have only made things much worse. Let's hope that amends will be made.
> 
> Kaden and Ryoma, whew. That's a lot of respectful bonding there. Sharing details with each other, building a foundation for trust… then Saizo pops in and rounds his rude nature at Kaden. Still, at least Kaden is about to contribute in a huge way.
> 
> Last, but not least, Leo. Well, now he is up to date on events and… hey, Leo? Where are you going? Nope, too soon, too soooon! And he's gone. Do you think he can actually get close to the pack with just Sakura's headband? Well, maybe if Lupus is the first one to pick up the scent. And… what can Leo do to help, but also obviously without setting off the hint that the pack had outside help in the first place?


	44. Working as (Not) Intended

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I had a dollar every time something I planned was scrapped for something else… I’d be bloody rich. I ain’t joking. If I wrote ‘Corrin, of the Wolfskin’ as I originally intended, it would also be a separate fic on its own. The amount of things I change in the moment is insane...
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Princess Hinoka looks from Lupus to Dadaan. She could easily hear the fighting outside, but she was expecting some sudden attack… not Keaty, more or less, beating Dadaan down. Dadaan is sitting down as she applies another wave of Festal healing. Lupus is crouching beside Dadaan, using some of the available Vulnerary to make a salve on the smaller wounds.

“So, let me get this straight.” Hinoka starts. “You caused Keaty to pummel you, because…?”

“I couldn’t help my human side.” Lupus quietly responds, ashamed.

“ **He**  was forced to submit because  **you**  didn’t follow the norm?”

“‘It’s not about what the female wants, it’s about what the male wants’.” Lupus recalls, “So, by letting me go ahead, that meant that he wanted it as much as I did.”

“She’s right.” Dadaan confirms. “And… I do. I do want her, but…” He shakes his head, “I lost myself in the moment. The fault is mine.”

Hinoka sighs. “Gods, no matter who or what they are, men are still the most stubborn type of people.”

“I really want him, too… but unless he can get Keaty’s permission, I won’t be able to.” Lupus nods.

So, Hinoka advises them with the best possible thing… “Then how about you both fight him?”

“Huh?”

“Wha…?” Came the, more than appropriate responses.

“Keaty’s a freakin’ Wolfsegger! What are the odds of a Wolfskin winning against a Wolfsegger one-on-one? No, forget it!” She groans, “Lupus, sister… you want Dadaan in a way more than just ‘mates’, right?”

“Well, yeah.” She nods.

“Dadaan, you want to take care of Lupus in a more human way, right?”

“Yes.” He nods.

“Marriage is the union of two lovers, to go through whatever trials come their way. It is never one-sided. If one of them is struggling, the other helps. No matter what comes, you can always stand tall with the knowledge that there is someone else who will  **always**  stand by you!”

Lupus and Dadaan share a look. “This is between the males.” Lupus finally answers.

“Alright, then you’d have no problem with Dadaan getting his furry ass handed to him, kicked out of the pack, and you being pinned down by Keaty? Never to see any of your family again… including Setsuna.” Hinoka snaps back. “You and the others keep talking about change, but it seems like only the  **men**  are doing that. So, how about  **you**  stand up, stop being so submissive, and be with Dadaan as an equal!”

Her little sister hesitates, “It’s not…” Dadaan starts.

“Oh no, don’t you start spouting excuses, either!” She both cuts him off and rounds on him, “Keaty’s working double-time to learn the ‘human things’. Heck, I think he’s learning faster than  **my own sister** … and he ain’t even part-human! So, how about you stop sticking to tradition, get your foot or paw or whatever out further, and take some actions for yourself!” Hinoka rises, “I’m butting heads with Keaty for most of the time we’re spending together… I’m aware he could literally crush me if I cross the line, but I also know that if I don’t make those hard pushes, then things won’t ever really change.” She places the Festal down, “Now, think on  **that**  for a bit… I’m going out and probably end up arguing with Keaty again… talk to you later.”

She does just that, she leaves, while both Lupus and Dadaan are left to think her words over…

* * *

Click, clack, screech… steps echo throughout the dungeon as Iago makes his way in once more. Hana doesn’t even need to see or hear to know that it’s him… he’s the only one who visits. Twisted words and vile magic is all he brings. He seems to take a cruel pleasure in making her and the others suffer in here. Typical Nohrian… except.

Lady Sakura is persistent in claiming that Prince Leo will save them. Is this a mind-game that Iago brought in? That is what Hana wants to believe. The Samurai rubs her wrists… Kagero is the only one who remains chained. Iago probably believes that she’s the only one with enough knowledge to make a prison break out of almost anything. He’s probably right in that regard, as Hana is too ‘head-first’ to make any complex plan involving… gods only know what.

Iago took away Kagero’s  **hairpins** . Hana doesn’t even know how to pick locks… a combination of not wanting to and the fact that it would be dishonorable…

“Hana…” Iago decides to visit her cell. “Oh, I have stumbled across this delightful piece of information.” He can’t provoke her, he can’t provoke her, he can’t provoke her… “It has to do with your ‘honor’.” He gives her a wicked smile.

“...” And she’s doing everything she can not to lash out… because gods know she’s already shoulder-deep in problems because of that approach.

“Oh, don’t pretend like you don’t know what I’m referring to.” He  **laughs** , “I can scarcely believe that you Samurais have made a ritual for regaining your ‘honor’ through… suicide.” Hana grits her teeth… Seppuku. It would be a lie to say it hasn’t crossed her mind for however long she's been locked in this cell. She wasn’t there when Lady Sakura needed her most. She lashed out against her own friends, her fellow retainer, and even some of the other Royals. It was her actions that landed Kagero, Subaki, and herself into this situation. “And surely you are in dire need of that, aren’t you? Honor?”

“And you Nohrians lack honor entirely.” She spits back.

“...And here I was, willing to compromise and let you have a choice…” He pauses, “I will make this clear: You will either go through with Seppuku, or you will face the executioner’s axe… tomorrow.” He takes a step back with a wicked smirk.

Death or death… Hana glares at him. Can Prince Leo come within a day? Surely there’s… “I bet you don’t even have the right materials for it.”

He chuckles, “Of course I do, I made sure to…”

“Then why didn’t you ask what my favorite meal is?” She counters.

“Excuse me?”

Got him. “And I bet you don’t even have the right kind of katana… or clothes!”

He takes a step closer, “You’ve made your decision so soon? Very well, what will you need?”

“Hana!” Subaki exclaims, “Don’t believe…”

“Subaki.” Kagero, “She understands. She knows.” Lady Sakura must be asleep again.

“The blade has to be a Wakizashi, which is shorter than a standard katana. I’ll also need pure white robes, a  **proper**  bath before that. As for my last meal…” She pauses and thinks it over, “Rice rolls, a few slices of sushi… any kind honestly, and sake. I’ll also need one last small cup of sake before I actually do it.”

“...hmph.” He huffs, “Very well.”

“And this can only be done while facing either the rising or the setting sun.”

“Bah, so many rules for just having yourself gutted… very well.” Iago finally leaves, “Consider it done,  **Samurai** .”

And after he left the area… “And your accompanying partner?” Kagero asks.

“No.” Hana flatly states, “I’m not bringing either of you into this… the faults are mine alone, it is  **my**  honor that I need to restore. Gods, my father… I can only imagine how ashamed he is of me right now.”

“...” Kagero sighs.

“I don’t…” Subaki starts.

“I apologize, Subaki. I should’ve never snapped back at you, I should’ve listened, I should’ve been better. For the sake of me, my family, not just your duty… protect Lady Sakura and make sure she’s happy.”

“And if Lady Sakura asks?”

Hana hesitates, “There’s no easy way, is there? Just… tell her the truth, then. I am going through with Seppuku.” Hana sits down, strangely drained. This is it, isn’t it? No, she already knows it’s the answer. The amount of dishonor she has brought… “I’m sorry, Lady Sakura.”

* * *

Huff, puff, Kaden dashes along the forest floor, not making much more than a crinkle to his incredibly light-footed steps… well, it helps that a large portion of his bounds are made off of tree trunks, rather than the floor itself. He  **would**  be making a lot of noise just from the trail he’s leaving behind, but… there are more uses of Foxfire aside from making copies of himself. ‘Foxfire, Shroud’. Is what he calls this particular ‘spell’... the orbs create a ‘shield’ of sorts, but instead of blocking attacks, it’s meant to keep his speed to himself. That is to say, he doesn’t create a back-draft of wind, which would normally cause leaves to scatter and branches to sway. The only indicator that he was ever even there are the few paw-prints left behind on the forest floor… but since they perfectly match a normal fox’s, there’s no true way to tell that he was really there.

Going off of memory and partially Kagero’s scent, he follows the trail, before taking a sharp turn, towards the sound of running water. Just as he assumed, the river is quite large… he then sprints against the river’s flow. Now, if the hamlet hasn’t been attacked, then it will be a ‘short’ ways up the stream. Granted, to him, ‘short’ can mean the entire distance between his old, original hamlet all the way to Castle Shirasagi… that’s just how fast he  **can**  run.

Wolfskin have adapted to strength. Kitsune have adapted with speed. That much can be seen from their shifted forms alone.

Sniff, sniff, he can pick up an increasing number of scents… then he halts. “...won’t be long.” He hears a male state. “If I can, I can.”

“...And if you don’t return?” Another male… tone laced with concern.

A sigh, “Officially? I failed. I ‘ordered’ you to leave… however, I’d recommend abandoning Nohr entirely.”

“Milord.” Pain. “But, Lady Sakura is expecting your return, if…”

Saku? Kaden creeps closer, keeping his ‘Shroud spell’ up for a bit longer… thankfully it’s a low-cost one when compared to ‘Duplicate’. “I can’t do anything for her right now. But… I can at least make sure that Princess Corrin and her pack are properly equipped and warned. Xander won’t hold back… His Highness has been wanting those Wolfskin dead for weeks, but they always seem to elude death. My brother’s too blinded by his Nohrian pride, but… gods. He  **is**  equipping every single one with a Beastkiller, after all. I fear he won’t fail.”

Corrin… right, that’s Lupus’s ‘human’ name. But, wait… Xander, Xander.  _“In the name of Lord Xander… hee, hee!”_  The flash of a blue and pink hair woman comes and goes. The one that nearly killed Selkie. So, this human is also a… ‘Prince’? But, wait… they’re ‘brothers’ and ‘brothers’ are ‘family’, but… no. Honesty. He’s honest about it, why?

…

Kaden shakes his head, backs up, and resumes his task before he ends up getting caught. Besides, just because ‘Shroud’ is a low-cost ‘spell’ doesn’t mean he can keep it up for that long… In fact, the second he’s out of their earshot, “Foxfire, dispel.” The three blue-fire orbs take their normal positions, orbiting around the front half of his body. Once more, his speed kicks up the surrounding leaves and debris.

Thankfully, he wasn’t that far by now. It was a… ‘hop, jump, and a skip away’... he thinks.

He hears a howl soon afterwards… a warning. He stops and returns it with a howl of his own… halt, temporary truce, alone. He holds a moment, and raises his ears, a second howl… come, though this howl is far more commanding, the alpha. “This better work…” He tells himself as he dashes through the last bit, then shifts back into his human form before they actually see him.

This hamlet is… less developed than his original one, and the last two ones he was at. At least there are a fair number of Kitsune here. “Male. Strong. Outsider.” Were the various comments he hears, most of them in a more aggressive manner. None of them were that exceptional… until he laid eyes on, who is without a doubt, the alpha.

“Name.” He gruffly asks… scars, damaged. A chunk of his left ear is missing, a few fingers on his right hand are cut short, one huge scar lines his chest.

“Kaden.” He curtly replies.

The elder Kitsune sniffs him. Wary, “Alone… hamlet?” His… social skills could use work.

Not that Kaden would voice that. “Killed. Poachers.” So instead, he brings his own skills down.

He  **growls** , “Coward.” Kaden holds his tongue, “Unharmed… you left them.”

A terrible assumption, but it would actually be worse to say he’s received healing from humans… it’s also useless to lie, so he can’t just say his alpha told him to leave, since he  **was**  the alpha. Which means he’s forced to take the worse of the two routes, “No. Defended them. One other lived… was saved before death.”

The alpha stands taller, looking to intimidate Kaden. “Other Kitsune?”

“She’s in hiding.”

“Left vixen alone?” Oh, he’s not getting much favor from this topic. “Who saved?”

And here it comes, “Half-dragon.” Tick tock, several seconds pass…

“Half...dragon?” One of the Kitsunes asks. “Half what? Liar.”

Another growl silences the hamlet. “Other half?”

Kaden takes a breath, “Human.”

“Hmph.” The alpha huffs, “Honesty.” A pause, “Home?” The alpha looks around him. “Too many here.” Underneath that is a silent declaration, ‘if you want to live here, you’ll have to prove yourself right now’.

Kagero flashes through his mind, so he shakes his head, “No. Don’t need one.”

“Why here?”

If the half human didn’t set him off earlier, then this will… “Assault human base.”

That statement is met with a sea of growling. “ **Silence** !” The other Kitsune whimper and pulls back at the alpha’s roar. “What use?”

He needs a good reason, like… “War’s spreading. Can kill before targeted. Waiting kills more.”

“War?” He echoes. “On Kitsune?”

“Between two human homes, Nohr and Hoshido.” Kaden clarifies, “Beast race being killed for more bases.”

“Humans kill… for more land?”

“Yes.” Kaden nods.

“So, kill humans first… save hamlet? What other humans?”

“Save time, strike fast. Kill. Area safe.”

He sniffs the air again and… “Liar. Other reason.”

“Important humans on base. If saved, then…”

“No.” Yep, there it is. “Kaden work with humans?” Of course he could already smell that.

“I always repay my debts, alpha. Humans saved the other of my hamlet from Beast Killer poison.”

He growls again, “Leave.”

Kaden takes a step backwards, “Challenge.” He simply states.

“Warn. To death. Human-puppet.” As Kaden assumed, this alpha has a particularly bad life with humans.

“Then it will be to death.” Kaden nods, then takes note of one huge detail right before the alpha shifts… it’s the stone he’s using…

A Beastrune. This alpha has managed to get his hands on an exceptionally rare gem, which is strong enough to hold so much power that it becomes a Beastrune. Beastrunes basically allow a shifter to obtain far more power than normal. And that is the first thing that Kaden noticed when his form became the Nine-tails, except that…

He’s missing a Foxfire orb.

Kaden’s form glows as he takes his own Nine-tails form, causing another wave of whispers. Perhaps they weren’t expecting for him to also be a Nine-tails. Still, this fight won’t be anything to scoff at. See, part of the information he held back from Ryoma is just how crucial Foxfire is to a Nine-tails. It isn’t just a means for ‘spells’, Foxfire is as much a part of a Nine-tails as anything else. When Foxfire is not in use, then it simply empowers the Nine-tails…

Which is why it’s so terrible that this alpha is missing one. It means he was in a severe enough situation where he used a last resort. ‘Foxfire, explode’. It’s as it sounds, the Nine-tails commands one of their Foxfire to detonate, which causes a large-scale explosion. However, due to the ‘natural’ presence of a Nine-tails and its Foxfire, the blue-fire leaves plants and wildlife unharmed, the ‘caster’ is also left untouched, but everything else is burned… even those of the same hamlet.

Kaden can only cringe to think of what put this alpha in such a dire position. He probably lost his ear, some of his fingers, and earned all of those scars before actually going through with that. Because, unlike a Foxfire ‘powering down’ after extended use… Detonating one is permanently destroying it. This alpha will  **never**  get his third Foxfire orb back, forever crippling him without the added passive benefits… or the most powerful versions of the other ‘spells’.

“A Nine-tails?” The alpha states more than asks. “No Beastrune?” Surprise, but behind that… admiration. “No hold.” The alpha crouches.

Kaden crouches, and within the fourth of a time it takes to blink an eye, the two have already lunged, exchanged no less than three hits, and already landed. Kaden’s attacks bite just a bit deeper and he strikes a bit faster, simply due to the fact he has all three Foxfire orbs. However, that doesn’t mean he can get cocky.

The alpha here obviously sports a better defense due to all of the hardship he’s been through. His history with fighting means that he’s more skilled in battles. Whatever advantage Kaden has with all three Foxfire, the alpha equals in experience. Though, if Kaden spent his life training himself, rather than forging friendly bonds with villagers, then this  **would**  be a one-sided fight in Kaden’s favor.

But this fracture between human and beast-race won’t be fixed by sharpening claws all day.

Another set of lunges, one of Kaden’s tails grips the alpha’s legs, effectively tripping him, a small enough window to land a moderate scratch, only for the alpha to literally bounce back and tackle Kaden. Roll, roll, swipe, snap. The two Nine-tails fight viciously for the upper hand. One to retain his status as alpha, the other for his life.

It’s also because of Kaden’s bonds with humans that this alpha  **will**  kill him, despite obtaining the Nine-tails form on his own. “Foxfire, replicate.” Kaden commands as his three orbs are sent out.

“Foxfire, counter.” And with a ‘spell’ that Kaden hasn’t learned, his two orbs somehow intercept Kaden’s, leaving only one copy to spawn as the remaining two return to Kaden and the alpha, respectively. “Barrier.” A second command, which ends up being very similar to ‘Shroud’, except that its purpose is to defend. Foxfire orbs meet copy, and the duplicate is sent rolling back.

Kaden growls.

The alpha growls.

Yet, the two are still stuck to each other on the ground. The alpha seems to be looking just to rip his neck out… Kaden can feel the hatred pouring from the alpha. A tinge of pain hits him, not from the fight, but from the assumptions of whatever happened to this alpha. “Return. Flash.” Kaden ‘casts’, the copy returns to an orb and one of his two near him quickly shines brighter than the sun itself… blinded. Another chance and Kaden both digs all four paws worth of claws into the alpha, before throwing him off.

It was then Kaden noticed he was actually bleeding quite a bit. How did he not notice? The alpha wasn’t fairing much better. “Empower.” The alpha states as both of his orbs immediately dim… whatever power they had left was transferred to the alpha, which means he’s looking to end this right now.

Unfortunately, both of the alpha’s orbs were at a state where they were burning as brightly as they could, unlike Kaden’s… he has used his quite a bit lately, leaving his in more of a half-powered state. Still, “Empower.” It isn’t enough to match whatever the alpha just took in, but… he has so many lives counting on him. More than just a hamlet. He’s fighting for a future where there won’t be fighting, one where human and beast race can live together.

He’s also fighting for Kagero, who warms his heart.

Blue fire accompanies both of the Nine-tails’s claws and fangs. Two sets of bright-blue eyes and all nine of their tails have went from a pure-white fur to a vibrant burning blue. Trails of blue are left behind after every strike, which would be considered beautiful… and it would be, as long as you weren’t hit by them. Blue fire  **is**  so much hotter than a campfire, after all.

Slash, burn, swipe, bite, yelp. The challenge starts to become fiercer and faster. The signature speed becomes more apparent as the two males start to become blurs of fur and fire, even with the limited space. Blood spills, fur is burnt off, cries of pain are heard…

And it wasn’t until the ‘dust faded’ that it was seen that Kaden is pinning the alpha down. The alpha’s ‘empower’ faded first, simply due to only having two Foxfires… Kaden’s faded half a minute after pinning the other down. “Yield.” Kaden states, but it’s more of a plea.

“Human-puppet.” He repeats. “I won’t…” He struggles, but Kaden has each of his legs on the other, and each of his tails are keeping the other’s from moving.

“Yield. You’re too strong to just let die.”

The alpha growls. “You know strength? Yet you  **ran**  from your hamlet. Coward. I stood ground and fought poachers. Costed me a Foxfire.”

“And that missing Foxfire costed you this challenge.” Kaden spits back. “Fight or run, it’s one of the biggest decisions to make. You might have saved your hamlet, but was it worth the loss? Perhaps you should have called to run.”

His eyes glint, angered. “You’re too young… how many mates have  **you**  lost?! How many kits killed?”

“Yield.”

“No. I won’t follow  **your**  lead, ever.”

Kaden takes a breath. “And I don’t want  **your**  position.” The declaration silences the hamlet. “I want your hamlet’s help for  **one**  task, one fight. After that? I’ll leave. Never seen again.”

“Because you’ll get us killed.” He assumes. “Humans always want more and more. Once they get this out…”

“...” Kaden looks down, then back at the alpha. “If you won’t, then…” He takes a breath, “Shift back.”

“I…” He chokes on a breath as Kaden stamps down even harder.

“Shift. Back.” Kaden growls and due to the dominance… the fact that this skilled alpha lost, does as he says. Kaden follows suit. “Up.” He helps the older alpha up. “You’re helping, one way or another… and it seems like it’s going to be ‘another’.” Kaden extends a hand, palm open, “Beastrune.”

Predictably, the alpha growls. “I’ll have you…” Back to the floor. “Hamlet!”

“Stop.” Kaden orders, causing the hamlet to halt… as long as the alpha remains within Kaden’s control, he’s in charge. “Beastrune.” Hesitation, “Alright then.” Crack, crunch, Kaden strikes the alpha’s left arm, he howls in pain… Kaden takes his Beastrune, then drops his own Beaststone onto him. “Should’ve kept your Foxfire, alpha.” Kaden speaks as he rises. “You should think about the future more often.” Kaden shifts, feeling the boost from the rare shifting stone. “Won’t meet again.” Despite just fighting off an alpha, the new source of power boosts his speed…

He might haven’t gotten this hamlet, but this Beastrune will make up for a lot. Now, he just has to get back to the Hoshidans and plan something out.

* * *

Prince Leo takes the deepest breath he has ever had. This is it, the moment of truth. He can frankly flip a coin to decide whether or not he walks free… or is served on a platter. He reaches into his pouch and pulls out Lady Sakura’s headband. He drops his ‘scent blocking’ spell, then utters a single word… or rather, two words. “Princess Corrin!” He is currently standing in a clearing, probably about a mile or so away from ‘the pack’, but he  **knows**  her hearing is sharper than any other human. He was ready to call out her name a second time, had he not heard rustling. “I’m not here to fight.” He announces, “I am disarming myself right now.” He grabs his steel sword, then tosses it to the side. He then pulls his Divine Weapon, Brynhildr, out. This is wrong, it’s so wrong. He feels like he’s about to rip a part of himself out.

Ever since the Brynhildr chose him, it has  **never**  been out of arm’s reach. He stoops down, gently places the tome on the ground, then steps away from it. He wouldn’t be exaggerating if he said he felt like he died a little.

Lastly, he raised his arms up and away from each other, with Lady Sakura’s headband in full view. Princess Corrin, perhaps after seeing he can’t easily get any of his weapons, comes out. Ragged is the first one that comes to mind. Her clothes are torn in so many places, and it seems like her shirt was just stitched together. Her skin is dirt-ridden and gods… her hair is the worst part. Twigs, dirt, blood, fur, and so much more is in it.

She’d be disowned before she could even open her mouth if she was in Nohrian royalty.

Yet, past it all, he can also see if she were to be properly cleaned up, then she would make other nobles jealous. Her relative lack of clothing also shows off her more feminine side. “A Lord Leo?” She asks.

...Alright, properly cleaned up and taught how to speak correctly. “Princess Corrin.”

She glares, “My name is Lupus.” Closer, she carefully eyes him as she gets closer, perhaps anticipating him drawing a hidden weapon. “I remember you.” Something shines behind her eyes, something dangerous. A beast best left shackled. Her eyes flick over to the headband, “Saku…” Compassion, which turns to a burning gaze, “Where is she?”

“...She is held within a jail.” He frankly responds. “I requested she allow me to have her hairband.”

She audibly sniffs and the aggression dies down a little, “...honesty?” He can hear her just barely whisper. “Why?”

“Because I wanted to talk to you, and I had hoped that a familiar scent would invite neutrality.”

“Neu...tra...lity?” She echoes, before she  **growls** . “Don’t use. Big words.”

“Peace. Common ground.” He clarifies.

She’s now within a lance’s reach. According to reports and his own assumptions, she can kill him from where she’s standing right now… a single stab to his heart. She grits her teeth and… tears form? “I want to kill you.” She bluntly states, “You…  **forced**  me to hurt Saku. Saku is gone because of  **you** . Hina is hurt because Saku is gone. I. Want. To. Kill. You!” But… she doesn’t.

“I was ordered to.” Leo tells her. “I had no choice in the matter.”

“But you’re… Prince. Prince has… powers.”

“We have…?” It takes him a moment, “Ah, authority. I do, but…”

Shing, “Autho...rity?” Her lance is out. “I’ll hurt you if you do that again.”

“Permission.” He replies, off-put by her blatant aggression, “However, there are many people who have more control than me… and that order came from one of them.”

“You… didn’t want?” She pauses, “If you had a choice, you wouldn’t?”

“I do not believe in underhanded tactics. So, yes… if I had the choice, I would have not casted that hex in the first place. I would not have used that hex to force you to cripple Princess Sakura.” He nods.

At least she’s willing to talk.

“Then… why here? Purpose?”

Ah good, he can get to the point, “I came to warn you, and to the pack.” He takes a breath, “My elder brother, Crown Prince Xander, is mounting an assault. He has about twenty men under his command, each one will be wielding a Beast Killer. He’s looking to kill off every last one of you.”

She glares again, “Brother? He’s family? Then… why?”

“Because I’m not blind to Nohr like he is. I realized that there is another way. Princess Sakura has opened my eyes to that. I do  **not**  want this war to start… and I realize that your survival is a necessary part.”

“...honesty.” She whispers again, “How do you want to help?”

“I won’t be able to assist directly…” Shuffle, rustle…

And the next thing Leo knew is that he is on the forest floor, with a massive Wolfskin pinning him down. “You…”

“Sister!” And this massive ‘sister’ is pushed aside by ‘Lupus’. “No! Leave him alone!”

“He’s the…”

“No!”

“What is…?” Another. “Prince Leo?”

“Vella, back! Go!” Lupus  **growls**  at ‘Vella’. “He helps.”

“Wha… sister? What’s going on?” Lupus helps him up and he sees… Princess Hinoka? Out here?

“A Lord Leo says that A Lord Casander is going to attack the pack with twenty Beast Killer holding people.”

A short silence follows, “Casander?” Ironically, both Lady Hinoka and Leo asks at once.

She rounds on him, “Crown Prince Casander.”

“ **X** ander.” Leo stresses the ‘x’.

“Cs… cas… ccs…” She continuously fails to properly pronounce the ‘x’, “C… c….” She growls, “Casander. Stupid name.” She kicks the dirt.

Well then.

“And you’re trusting his…” Lady Hinoka starts.

“Honesty.” Lupus cuts her off, “He has honesty. Can smell and see it. Now, how do you want to help?”

Finally, back on topic, “I won’t be able to help directly, because…” He falters as Lupus stares him down, “I can get supplies to…” No, wait… she isn’t, but why does she look so… and Lady Hinoka and Vella are…

“Human.” Another Wolfskin walks up, “‘Honesty’.” He scoffs, “After the pain you’ve caused  **my**  pack?” Ah, the alpha.

Actually no, that’s a bad thing. “Alpha,” He greets. “I…”

Step, step. Despite being only a few inches taller, the alpha  **feels**  like he’s several feet higher. His presence is even stronger than Xander’s. The Wolfskin reaches out with a single hand… still in his human form, grabs Leo by his armor and  **holds him up** . It doesn’t even look like he’s trying. “The things I could do to you right now, human.”

Leo glances at Lupus, who remains silent… even Lady Hinoka looks like she won’t help. “I came to give my warning and I…”

“‘Want to help’?” He asks. “Without actually being here?” Dropped, “Do you really think I believe that?!” He growls and his Beaststone glows.

“Keaty…” Lupus whispers.

“If Nohr…” Leo starts.

“The only way you’ll help is if you’re in my sight at all times.” The alpha states. “There won’t be any of this ‘not here’ type of help.” A step forward, “You will either fight with us, or I will  **crush**  you right here.” For unneeded emphasis, he shifts.

His previous presence has  **nothing**  on him now.

“Me being there will only increase the number of…” Crack, Keaty stomps a hole in the ground.

“Answer.”

Well, that’s nothing but a compelling argument. “I will fight, then.” He resolves.

This did  **not**  go according as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...Hinoka. Do you mind dialing back your, uh, fieriness a bit? No? Okay… I’m just saying, since you aren’t exactly providing the best solutions right now. But, to be fair, she isn’t exactly a fountain of wisdom. *Points at her canon support with Leo*
> 
> Ah, Hana. Which is, to me, the highlight of the chapter… for the angst. Of course she would choose Seppuku over the executioner’s axe. As for the ‘accompanying partner’ bit from Kagero… the person committing Seppuku is to be decapitated as a means to keep the pain to a minimum. I mean, the person is literally ripping their midsection open, it isn’t a simple, single stab like Ryoma shows off in Conquest. Without someone to end them quickly, they’re going to be in agony until they bleed out… which is what Hana is going to go through with. She refuses to get Kagero or Subaki involved in it. The only detail that I added was it having to be done during a rising or setting sun. The rest is pretty close to the intended way.
> 
> It’s a good thing Sakura wasn’t awake to hear this ordeal.
> 
> Kaden! The highlight of this chapter… for creativity! Whaddya think of those Foxfire abilities/lore? So, like I said in the shout-out, Foxfire orbs are extremely precious. Under most circumstances, they will only be drained of their ‘magic’ over time, but there are ways for them to be lost… the first is what Kaden described, ‘Foxfire: Detonate’... it’s basically a nuke, wait no… a nuke is too widespread. A grenade? RPG? Bomb? Something like that, but instead of shrapnel, there’s blue fire. Which is the reason why that alpha only has two left.
> 
> And as stated, once a Nine-tails loses a Foxfire orb… that’s it. Three is all they get and they can’t ever make more. Now, I did also just state that there are ways for them to be lost… but that won’t be described until later!
> 
> So, the only help Kaden could secure is a Beastrune. I wanted to make a hamlet that showed off that not all Kitsunes have had the same experiences… so this one has a much more bloodied life against humans, hence why the alpha was so violent against the idea. And, of course, since the alpha held such spite, it would essentially spread to the rest of the hamlet… so, even if Kaden finished off the alpha, there would be a higher chance for the other males to want to claim alpha status. Better off just taking that Beastrune and leaving.
> 
> And lastly… Prince Leo. Who has had the most ‘in the moment’ change. Alright, first off, I know Lupus’s talking came out more… simple. But, why should she bother talking to him as she would Hinoka or Velouria? It’s a matter of making her ‘seem’ weaker, like she can’t think that well…
> 
> She’s acting like she’s less intelligent than she actually is.
> 
> And, of course, her canon preference for peace and no killing comes through again, so Leo gets to live to see another day… while being forced to fight with the pack. Oh-ho, surely that’s the last way he was expecting that to end. Just wait until Xander arrives...


	45. Operation: Super Secret Sneaky Plans!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Xander made it to the nickname list? Well yes, but that’s only because Lupus can’t properly pronounce the letter ‘X’. Which means if Lupus were to say my username, she would probably pop off with “Hadronicas.” It’s a good thing there aren’t many names with the letter ‘X’.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Xander = Casander. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

**** Kaden returns to the Hoshidan base with a weary body and three drained Foxfire orbs… the only plus-side to that mission is the new Beastrune in his possession. Other than that, he’s worse for the wear. There’s no way he can pull off any other big task right now. Rest, he needs rest… and with the thought of rest comes the desire to have Kagero nap on his fur, but she can’t…

Because she’s not here.

“Ka-da~.” The archer, Seta, greets him. “Tired, drained. Accomplished?” She guesses. “You seem stronger.”

He internally sighs, knowing that ‘Seta’ won’t ever use ‘Kaden’. “Hello, Seta.” He forces a smile. “Where’s Ryoma?” It’s not that he dislikes her, it’s just… he’d rather be somewhere else.

“Training grounds. Red has been really stressed lately. Don’t think he’s slept in a few days.” A short pause, “I’ll be off now… you got things to do, I got things to do…” She trails off as she walks away.

Kaden takes a breath and goes to the training grounds, which wasn’t that hard to find. Especially when he picks up both the smell and sound of Ryoma. His target, a poor training dummy, has already been severed in several places. Kaden can also note just how tired Ryoma is. He really hasn’t been sleeping, has he? “Ryoma?” Kaden asks as the Swordmaster was about to carve another strike.

“Hm? Oh, hello Kaden, you…” A pause as he looks him over, “look like you need rest.”

Kaden first responds with a flat look. “At least I’m getting sleep.”

He flinches, “I have many things to do, I’m afraid there isn’t time to rest.” He shakes his head, “Anyway, you’ve returned… what of your mission?”

Kaden pulls out his… brush and starts grooming his visible fur, “I won.”

“Then we have the support of the hamlet?”

A frown, “No. I’ve encountered a problem… the alpha, and to extension the hamlet, has a terrible history with humans. First off, the alpha wouldn’t yield, and I’m not going to kill a Nine-tails without serious consideration…”

“But, you’re back.”

“Instead of the hamlet, I had the alpha and me switch our shifting stones since…” He puts the brush away and pulls out the Beastrune, “He had a Beastrune… which is far more powerful than a Beaststone.”

“And… that’s worth more?” Of course he’s confused.

“Hm…” Kaden hums, “Alright, my old Beaststone to this Beastrune is like a Bronze Katana to your special weapon.” Well, not  **that**  much of a difference.

He nods, “Understood. Then, do you think we can…”

“Ryoma.” Kaden cuts him off. “You need rest. I need rest. Assaulting that outpost now is suicide.”

He grimaces, “I can’t simply…”

Kaden audibly sighs, walks over and stands tall. “Then I’m going to treat you like I did with Kagero.”

“What do you…  **hey** !” With a show of strength that surprised Ryoma so much that he dropped his training sword, Kaden lifted the man up. “What are you…  **Kaden** !”

“We’re going to rest.” Kaden flatly replies as he lies the man down under a tree, then shifts into his Nine-tails form… so tired already. Kaden curls up next to the tree, “C’mon, sleep with me.”

“I need… oof!” Kaden wrapped one of his tails around Ryoma’s leg as he attempted to leave.

“Rest. With. Me.” The Nine-tails repeats as he literally drags Ryoma back, then uses several more of his tails to pin the man down. “You need it. I need it. Sleep.” Kaden closed his eyes and lets out a breath.

Ryoma was still struggling, even after Kaden fell asleep.

* * *

Down, weave, strike, dodge. Lupus is at it again with her partial-shifting training. However, instead of Dadaan, this time she’s playing rough and fast with Keaty. The change between Wolfskin and Wolfsegger is clear, he’s so much faster and stronger, which keeps Lupus on edge. One direct hit and playtime is over, she’ll need a round of healing. But, if A Lord Casander is as strong as A Lord Leo claims, then Keaty is her best option for training.

She’s also been stressing herself to think of new weapons and other combat-related partial-shifting. She needs variety, she needs to be able to get something new… it might just be the difference between life or death. And through the Wolfskin, she  **knows**  that even the smallest advantage is one that should be taken.

Deflect, snap, sidestep, pierce. Lupus ‘flows’ with the fight… for someone who hates killing, if Lupus so chose and  **did**  start killing, she would be very efficient. What next, what next? What else could she get herself to shift? Scales, scales… they’re blunt, right? How about instead of a weapon that pierces and bites, one that causes her target to get dazed? With that in mind, she thinks of something more blunt… like a mace.

But, thinking of a mace doesn’t trigger a change.

Keaty notices her change in behavior, “Another new change?” He asks. “Hold?”

She shakes her head, “Keep pushing. I’ll think as I fight.” Replying with only a simple nod, Keaty continues to attack, though she does notice he isn’t going all-out like earlier. Blunt, blunt… scale. She doesn’t want to slam with a scale, she needs more reach. Something like… her maw, but without the teeth and it can’t open.

Lupus smiles.

It’s the last thing Keaty saw before she nailed him in the gut with her newly formed ‘mace’, which is the closest description she can give it. Her arm remains mostly the same, though her hand now has a number of ‘shield-like’ scales around it, forming something she can bash with. “Ngh…” Keaty grunts as he stumbles backward, even going so far as to hunch forward from the impact.

Then he spits up some blood. “Hina!” Lupus immediately calls her sister out. “I hit Keaty too hard!”

…

Lupus hit a Wolfsegger too hard. She blinks her eyes as she realizes just how much force that ‘mace’ just pushed out. She glances over to Keaty, who’s smirking, back in his unshifted form. “Won’t happen… again.” Then he falls over, out of breath.

“C’mon, you’re faking that.” Lupus nudges him with her foot. “I didn’t hit you  **that**  hard.” She then notices his tail starts wagging. “Brother~, your tail is wagging.” She giggles.

“...No, it’s not.” He mutters into the ground. “Fine, it didn’t hit that hard, but… that  **hurt** !” He gripes as he rolls over, “Yield, done. Do something else.” He says as Hina approaches with a Festal. “Number of those?”

“Half a dozen. I’m better than I was, but I still could be doing better with how long they last.” Hina supplies, before looking at Lupus, “We’re gonna wrestle again, one day.” She smiles, before tending to Keaty.

“I’ll talk to you later!” Lupus waves as she walks away. Now, what next? She decides to go to Vella, who turns out to be glaring at A Lord Leo. A Lord Leo has his hands behind his back, while looking off into the distance. “Sister?”

Vella sniffs, “Don’t trust him. Magic book. He made you cry.” She said that last bit louder, and Lupus sees A Lord Leo flinch.

“So, you’re just staring at him?”

“Ready to knock him out if he tries anything.” Vella nods.

Lupus huffs, before walking towards him, instead. “A Lord Leo?” She asks.

“Pri… erm. Lupus?” A Lord Leo is still looking ahead. “You… want to talk?”

“Watcha looking for?” She asks.

“Nohr.” He simply replies. “I’ve been questioning so many things lately… my loyalty to Nohr. How long this deception has been going on. What else has my father allowed like this?” A pause, “I’m also worried… my little sister, Princess Elise. She’s… like Princess Sakura.” His voice cracks on ‘Sakura’. “I’m sorry, Lupus. I tried to protect Lady Sakura, but I was forced away.”

“You helped Saku?”

He chuckles, “‘Help’ is too strong of a term. I couldn’t do much without causing suspicion. All I could do was provide some of her preferences… a sheet far too thin to actually warm her, a pillow that had almost no cotton in it… all covered with a pink so light, it might as well be considered white.”

“Why?”

“I… couldn’t be cruel to her. Lady Sakura, even on our first meeting, gave me nothing but kindness. She wished me well, hoped that things would come out better, but…” He takes a breath, “I visited her in the new outpost and… nothing struck me harder than hearing her spit out spite. Whatever Iago has done to her, it’s enough to have her hate him.”

“Oh.” Lupus kicks the dirt.

“...Not that I’m ungrateful, but… why did you spare me?”

“I don’t like killing.” He turns and raises an eyebrow, “What? That’s it, I don’t like killing.”

“Selena and those soldiers?”

“Were you trying to kill me in that moment?”

“No.”

“That’s the difference.” She sighs, “If it’s a matter of life or death, then yes… I’ll kill. But, I don’t want to kill. I’m not going out of my way to kill. You placed your weapons away from you, so until you decided to try and reach for them, I wasn’t going to kill you.”

“Hm… I see.” A Lord Leo reaches into his coat and pulls out  **that**  tome. Could he cast a spell right now? Well, he wouldn’t be able to complete it with Lupus so close. “I’m sure you’re aware of the Divine Weapons, correct?”

“Yeah?” Lupus nods, unsure of where he’s going with this. “Family told me about them: Rageentoe, Fujeen Yummy, Segfried, and Brinhilda.”

Her answer is met with a gaze caught between confusion and… amazement? No, that’s not it. A Lord Leo clears his throat, “Rajinto, Fujin Yumi, Siegfried, and Brynhildr.”

Lupus tilts her head, “That’s what I said.”

“No you… ugh, nevermind.” He sighs. “Xander wields Siegfried… should you get struck by it…”

“It’s dangerous, I know that.” Lupus cuts him off, “A Lord Leo, I’m not stupid.”

“I didn’t mean to imply you are, I’m just making sure you’re aware of the dangers.”

“A Lord Leo… do you wake up everyday wondering when the next member of your family is going to die? If one of them ends up skinned? Caught in a trap? Is it worth doing extra hunting? What if the food runs out? Do we have enough cover for winter?” She glares at him, “I’m more familiar with ‘danger’ than you’ll ever be.”

“I’m simply concerned for your well-being.”

“And you should be more worried about yours.” She bites back. “I won’t ever forgive you.”

Another sigh, “I understand, Lupus.” He puts the Brinhilda away. “Is there anything I can do to at least gain some favor with you all?”

“‘Actions hit rougher than words’.” Lupus quotes… incorrectly, not that she knows that. “Ask the alpha for some work.”

And it seems he gives in, “Very well… Have a good day, Lupus.” He leaves.

Lupus hums, then hears Vella finally approach, “Hey, sister.” She smiles.

“...took him long enough.” Vella sniffs. “Why bother? He won’t stay useful.”

Lupus looks up, towards the sky and clouds. “When are we getting another big moon? I wanna howl.”

“You, me, and Keaty?” Vella’s tail starts wagging quite quickly.

“...And Dadaan?”

“He normally doesn’t do it with us.” Her tail slows down a bit, but she doesn’t look aggravated.

“Would you mind if he did?”

A smile, “Of course not, since he’s Wolfskin.” A pause, “Should let Keaty claim you, first.”

Lupus’s face flushes, “Sister!”

“What? He’s stronger.” She shrugs.

“I’m… going to talk to Dadaan now. See you later!” Lupus quickly makes her exit, leaving a smiling Vella behind.

* * *

Hana is sitting cross-legged in her cell, willing her mind as clear as she can get it. She has thought over her words again and again, but no matter what sort of reasoning she grasps at, no matter what perspective she tries to get, it all goes down to the same ending.

Seppuku.

She understands why Subaki wants her to stop. She knows she’ll end up hurting Lady Sakura in a way that probably won’t ever be fixed. But, then she keeps thinking of what her own family thinks of her… how many of her ancestors are turning their heads away? Would her father shun her? Honor is held tighter to a Samurai’s chest than the armor they wear.

And her honor is all but gone.

**That**  is what Subaki can’t understand, he wasn’t raised a Samurai… or even a Ninja, to an extent. Kagero understands, Hana understands. Kagero has even offered several times to be her second, but… she’s not dragging Kagero into this. This is  **her**  honor at stake,  **her**  decision to make.

“Heya~!” A… strangely cheerful voice echoes through the prison. “One successful request for the  **best**  healer has arrived!” ...huh? Hana can hear that this person is  **skipping**  over… to Kagero’s. “Alright, lemme start with you~! My name is Princess Elise, what’s…” Princess Elise? A Nohrian Royal is here? “Erm, wait… hold on.” Rumble, scatter, various objects are being shuffled around. “Here, first, I want you to make sure you can move your hands probably. I would personally suggest writing a ‘prayer’!” Hana picks up some unnamed undertone in this woman’s words.

“I don’t follow in the steps of the gods, Lady Elise.” Kagero replies.

“Oh, silly me… how about a… ‘request’, then? You never know who will hear you out!” Clank, skip, creak. Lady Elise trots past Subaki and Hana, and goes straight to Lady Sakura. “Heya~! Remember me?” Wait, what? “Aw, you look terri-bad. Lemme help, okay?”

“Pr-princess… E-Elise?” Is that… happiness? “I’m… gl-glad to see you’re… well.”

“Oh, and I wish that extended to you.” For some reason, Hana can imagine Lady Elise pouting with that statement. “Wouldja like some water? How about some super-awesome healing!”

Lady Sakura coughs, “Y-Yes, please…”

“Sweet, now watch this…  **bam** ! A whoooole jug of water!” Hana remains still, “Okay, maybe a mini-jug.”

Then Lady Sakura… giggles? “Please, keep… staying happy, Lady Elise.”

“As if I have any other moods!” She gasps, “Mind waiting just a teensy moment?”

“Of course.”

Creak, clang, trot, open. Lady Elise goes from Lady Sakura… back to Kagero? “How’s it going along?”

“I have a question… how long do these ‘prayers’ usually take before it is heard?”

“Usually less than a day, the ‘deliveries’ are usually super-quick. Did you think of something?”

“Long distances?”

A pause, “Well, I wouldn’t say really long, but one good shot can get it well across the border.”

“I understand… please, resume with the others. I’ll have my prayer ready soon.”

“Awesome! Make sure to send  **all**  the love and cheer!” Clank, open, skip. “Heya! My name is…”

* * *

“Doo doo doo, dee da!” Elise sings as she skips from the evil jailing place to her horse at the ‘new’ outpost. “Ready to go, horsie?” She giggles as she hops up. “C’mon, we got stuff to do!” Very serious stuff, because to be honest…

Elise isn’t technically allowed here right now.

Well, she is because she’s a Princess, but she also really isn’t, it’s weird. Elise pats her pocket, which holds Kagero’s ‘prayer’, and by ‘prayer’ she means a letter. And by the ‘gods’, she meant the Hoshidans. Elise frowns for but a moment as her horse starts trotting. She doesn’t want this war, big brother Leo doesn’t want this war, so… Elise took actions into her own hands.

Using her role as a healer, Elise visited Kagero, Subaki, Hana, and Lady Sakura. She went to Kagero first because she knows that those super-sneaky Ninjas tend to have that jumbled up code wording. So, she gave Kagero some paper and pen to ‘make sure her fingers can move’... then she cleverly went straight to Lady Sakura to prove that she’s a good Princess!

And it worked!

She hopes… she obviously can’t read whatever Kagero wrote. So, where is she going next? That’s super-simple, her ultra-strong retainer, Effie, is positioned on a nearby hill with several javelins. The idea is straightforward… her have throw a javelin towards the Hoshidans with the note attached…

It’s an easy plan, she didn’t say anything about it being practical.

But, having a javelin soar through the air would cause less suspicion than Elise traveling across the border.

She hums as she looks around, admiring all of the green trees and tiny animals. She’s been spending a lot of time with Leo, as he opened up about some of his plans… considering they both strive for peace. Elise is worried, as Leo told her that he was going to ‘the pack’ to try and help them out from when big brother Xander will try and kill them all! Even… Princess Corrin.

Elise then flinches, not from Princess Corrin, but from what big sister Camilla announced without so much a care. Turning Lady Corrin’s dragon form into…  **decoration** ?! She doesn’t want scale-threaded things or horned stuff! Elise knows about Camilla’s more violent tendencies when it comes to defending her family, but that’s just going waaaay overboard!

“Hup, hyaah!” Elise hops off her horse as the view of Effie comes up. The Knight is swinging a… tree trunk around. Elise smiles… typical for Effie.

“Heya~!” Elise greets with a huge smile.

“Hm? Oh, Lady Elise.” Sweaty, kinda stinky, but Effie smiles back. “I’m making sure my throwing arm is ready.  **Hup** !” She  **throws**  the trunk down the cliff… granted it doesn’t go that far, but Effie. Threw. A tree trunk! “Everything went well?”

“Uh-huh! So… here!” Elise produces the coded letter. “So, wrap and tighten and… here?” It’s attached as well as she can do that.

“Looks good enough, I guess.” Effie shrugs, before picking up the javelin without the note, “One test throw…”

“ **Away**  from everything else.”

“Away from everything else.” Effie echoes. “Here we go!”

Elise whistles as she sees the weapon almost fly across the sky… it doesn’t actually start to drop for several seconds. “Now the real deal? Towards the Hoshidan base!”

“Hopefully it lands close enough to, like, a scouting party…” Effie nods. “No holding back!” The second soars even farther than the first. “Has Arthur returned?”

Elise shakes her head, “Nupe.” See, while Effie is helping with Elise’s super-top-secret mission with delivering that note… Arthur is helping by, uh, ‘helping’ out the supply convoy that has Hana’s requested items. Basically, she’s trying to buy the Hoshidans time to save them all by making sure Hana doesn’t go through with that self-stab thing. “I hope he’s okay, though…”

“He’ll come back with some bumps and scratches… but I’m sure he’ll be smiling the whole way back.” Effie reassures her. “Now, should we go back, before we end up drawing attention?”

Elise winks, “You’re just saying that ‘cause you’re hungry.”

“...You know me so well, milady.” Right as she said that, Effie’s stomach growled.

Which causes the youthful Princess to giggle, “Alright, let’s get you fed! Back to the quarters!”

* * *

Ryoma pushes himself up from an admittedly much-needed nap. After Kaden forcefully carried him and shoved him onto the ground… and after Ryoma gave up on trying to break free, he let himself relax and… wow. He can already tell the difference.

Maybe he really did need to rest.

"Make sure you look after yourself, Ryoma." Kaden says from his prone position, before yawning. "I'll be here when you need me."

“How long will it take for your Foxfire to recharge?” He asks.

“...If I went without actively using them? Over a week.” The Nine-tails admits. “I can’t turn them ‘off’, the orbs are always passively boosting my skills.”

“Alright then… how long until you’ll be battle ready?”

“Once my body is ready to go.” A pause, “I don’t  **need**  to have Foxfire at full power, but it’s preferable… then again. I almost lost to that alpha because my Foxfire was roughly around half-way drained, but his was at full power.” He turns his head towards Ryoma, “So, the question is… how badly do you need the spells that Foxfire allows me to use?”

“I’d rather you not push yourself that badly.” He admits, “You’ve been working yourself hard enough, Kaden. I can never thank you enough.”

Kaden hums, before he returns his head to its previous spot and lies it down, “We’re going to need my Foxfire… I have a feeling.” He then shifts back to his normal form. “But… I’ll just sleep until we’re ready to go.” He remains curled up under the tree.

Ryoma, despite it all, smiles. “Very well.” He resumes walking…

Only for an enemy projectile to fly across the sky and rip straight through the war tent’s roof. “Lord Ryoma!” Saizo exclaims, by his side in the next second.

“Everyone here is familiar to me… I don’t smell any intruders.” Kaden casually comments from his spot.

“And we should…”

“Saizo.” Ryoma cuts him off, “Let’s just inspect that weapon.” Besides, if there was someone in range, then the watchtower guards would have called it out. But… he shakes his head, he’ll save the assumptions for later. Instead, he and his retainer make their way into the war room, where a Javelin has embedded itself onto the map. “How?” Is the first question.

“...Milord.” Saizo hesitates, “The haft.” Ryoma’s eyes flick up and he sees a well-folded piece of paper. With a confirming nod, Saizo retrieves it. “It’s coded.” He flatly states as his eye looks it over.

“On a Nohrian weapon?” Ryoma asks.

“Milord… it’s from…” Saizo pauses, seemingly unable to believe whatever it is he’s reading.

“Yes?”

“Kagero.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah-ha! So the potential prison break is not this chapter! Maybe the next one? So, starting with Kaden… poor guy. He’s drained, physically and… Foxfire-ly? And he also misses Kagero. Ryoma and Kaden… both leaders who are apparently lacking sleep. At least Kaden is willing to admit that napping is a good thing… as he carries Ryoma over to the same napping spot he took Kagero to. Yes, Kitsunes are known for their speed, but I’m also making a point that, relative to humans, both Kitsunes and Wolfskin are faster and stronger in their non-shifted forms.
> 
> Hey~, Lupus got a new partial shift! A mace… so, now she has lances and maces… well, technically a sword, but those are for her legs. At least she has the three main weapon types covered… and also being able to summon shields. So, whew… she’s quickly becoming a powerful fighter. And she got to have a conversation with… Leo? Well, that’s a surprise. Looks like Leo is trying to do what he can, but his ‘warning’ definitely came out in the wrong way.
> 
> Not much to say on Hana’s part… that’s more for a looming prediction.
> 
> Oh, look… a new perspective. Princess Elise! And she looks like she’s doing super-sneaky things… going around and using her position to get things done. Like delivering notes to the enemy. Guys, Elise is an adult, after all. She’s quite aware of the trouble she would end up in if she’s caught, but that is how much she doesn’t want the war. Sneaky Elise is working behind the scenes with sunshine and smiles.
> 
> And, back to Ryoma… to where a lance falls from the sky and onto the map in the war room. Good god, Effie…


	46. A Fine Development

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Xander = Casander. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Prince Leo calmly approaches Lupus. As after seeing her latest display of her shape-shifting abilities during her spar with Keaty, he has taken an interest. After all, she is one of a kind, a perfect opportunity to observe and learn. Of course, the biggest problem is just saying the right things so she doesn’t end up losing her temper. Part of him wishes she would have actually made it to Nohr, the other knows she wouldn’t be like she is now if she did.

What would she be if father made it all the way? Would she follow Xander’s path with swordplay? Camilla’s brutality with axes? Maybe she would pick up lances? But, one thing’s for certain, she wouldn’t be the exceptional shapeshifter she is right now.

“Yes, A Lord Leo?” She asks before she even turns around. It doesn’t take a master of reading body language to know she’s tense.

“I believe I have figured out a way to assist you, Lupus.” It’s a rather…

“Liar.” Well then. “What do you want?”

“I wish to observe your…”

“Ob...serve?” He knows whenever she repeats a word slowly, she actually wants clarification, “Stop doing that.” And that she dislikes ‘new’ words.

“I wish to watch and learn about your… ‘partial shifting’.”

“Why?” Still so wary.

“Because I do believe that I can help you… maybe I could point out something that will help you grow… evolve, even.”

“How?” Leo holds back a sigh.

“I don’t know, but I do know that if I don’t try, then nothing can be acc… done.” Whew, managed to avoid another ‘big’ word.

“So… you just want me to shift something, and you’ll… tell me more?” She tilts her head, her… unkempt hair falling with it.

Gods, he can smell the odor so clear, even being over a lance’s length away. “That’s correct… will you at least allow me to try?”

“...Alright.” She nods, then raises her left arm and forms ‘the maw’. “Now what?”

“Could you open it for me?”

“I don’t like this.” She gripes, but does so anyway.

“Hm… it seems like an actual mouth… no tongue, but it does have a throat.” Strange. “Can you eat through it?”

“And how does that help me?” Aggravation.

“My apologies, I have a curious mind. I wonder… is it magic-based?”

“I don’t know?”

“Would you mind if I used some of my magic on your maw?” Might as well ask.

“...sure.” She nods.

In response, Leo sends out a small pulse of magic… interference. “Your maw is, at the least. So, I can safely assume that it can bypass armor and…”

“By...pass?” The maw snaps shut with such force that it actually sends out some wind, blowing his hair aside. “You don’t remember good, do you?”

The first thing he takes note of is that the ‘wind’ was pushed aside by magic. “Goes through without resistance.” He supplies. “Lupus, you need to understand, I’m simply speaking how I was raised.”

“...If you do it again today, you’ll find out if I can eat things with it.” The maw opens again. “Hurry up and finish.”

Leo takes a breath, “Since it is magic-based, I would like to try something.”

“That’s the point of this, isn’t it? So go ahead!”

“...because it involves me casting a spell into your maw.”

A pause. “Weak spell. You do anything tough and I’m going to hurt you.”

He gulps and nods, “A basic training level Fire spell.” Leo raises his hand up to her maw… she could easily reach forward and snap his hand off right now. “Fire.” A rather pitiful ball of fire enters. Lupus hisses, but otherwise takes the pain head on.

“Done?”

“Yes.” He nods. She snaps the maw shut, yet before he could comment on anything else, a surge of heat fills the immediate area. “Actually…”

“I’m not your toy, A Lord Leo.” She huffs… as a faint red light pulses from inside of her maw… before she shifts it back into her arm. “You said ‘yes’, so we’re done.”

“Very well… thank you for your time, Lupus.” He offers a smile.

She offers a glare. “I still don’t like you.” She turns and walks.

He sighs, “Yes, yes I know.” He then wipes off sweat he didn’t realize was even there. “Oh, that could have gone much better… or much worse.” A pause, “I wonder if that light means that she can… ‘store’ magic in there? Hm…” But, if she can store magic, then how long? He resolves to be in the same area the next time Lupus decides to spar. The last thing he needs is her maw exhuming fire and burning her opponent, which would then be rightfully blamed onto him.

And Leo would much rather stay alive.

“Human.” The alpha approaches him, and Leo immediately assumes the negative.

“Yes, alpha?” He calmly replies.

“Tasks, you’re… smart.”

He nods, “Do you have need of my knowledge? Unit types, how the troops fight, maybe whatever I know on botany?”

“Bot...any?” Unlike Lupus, however, he doesn’t turn aggressive.

Leo clears his throat, “My apologies. I meant my knowledge on herbs.”

“You know about herbs?” His ears immediately perk up… bingo.

“The Nohrian library has extensive knowledge on both Nohrian and Hoshidan plants… I have personally read through and studied the majority of these plants. There are few herbs I don’t know of.” A pause, “And it’s not just whether or not they are safe to eat, I can also tell you if they have multiple uses… and taking the ‘survival of the fittest’ into account… I can also point out herbs that produce toxins that you could cover your claws with.”

Keaty’s tail is wagging and he licks his lips. Then the next thing he said really threw Leo’s world upside down… figuratively that is, Keaty did  **not**  just flip the man. “You’re staying here.”

* * *

Kaden and Ryoma looks over the re-done map of the area, with both the Nine-tails input and a report that’s from Kagero, the Hoshidans now had a much clearer idea of the surrounding area. Saizo doubts that report is from Kagero, Ryoma wants to believe it’s from Kagero, but Kaden  **knows**  it’s from Kagero. It has her scent, and it’s thanks to the continuous napping with her that he knows her scent so well.

His heart aches again.

“We can strike the outpost in a few days’ time.” The High Prince states as he guides his finger along the various pathways. “Without the proper amount of troops, it would be too risky to try now.” He looks understandably upset. Especially considering his little sister is there, not to mention both of her ‘retainers’ and Kagero. “Doubly so considering that my little sister is in there… no doubt they’ll have more guards than on average… and those anti-Ninja wardings.” He groans. “But…”

“Hm?”

“I can understand Hana’s reasoning.”

“What?! The… killing herself?!” Kaden exclaims. “Why? How can she value her own life so little? So what if she made some mistakes!”

Ryoma takes a breath, “I’m afraid it’s not something that can be simply explained and understood in a few moments.”

He narrows his eyes, “What’s there to understand? She’s going to rip herself open?”

“It’s a deep-rooted part of being a Samurai and their respective honor. Hana has brought upon great dishonor with her actions, and as much as I would like to say she can simply work through it… it would take several lifetimes to undo that stain.”

“You’re right, I don’t.” Kaden frowns. “And I don’t think I ever want to.” A pause as his ears twitch, “...”

“Kaden?”

“One moment…” Kaden walks outside.

“Yaaaay~! Keep running, keep running!” Selkie laughs as she chases a clearly exhausted Laslow into the base camp. “Aw… you were doing so good this time, too.”

“I… can’t…” Laslow collapses onto the ground, “I… think I’m… going to… die.”

“One more round! One more round!” Selkie pounces onto the poor man.

“Selkie. Let him rest.” Kaden calls her out. “You need to start getting ready, anyway.”

Selkie gets off of Laslow and turns towards Kaden with an excited expression, “Whaddya we gonna play? Ooo, it’s been a while since we’ve played! Chase? Some play fighting? Ooo, can we do it rough and fast? I got sooooo much energy to use! C’mon, tell me! Tell me!”

Kaden sighs, “Yes, we’re playing in a few days… but it’s going to be the type of play that can really hurt you for good, Selkie.”

A pause, before her smile grows, “We’re… hunting, aren’t we? What are we hunting? The big bears that growl those deep grrs? How about some of those…”

“Humans.” He cuts her off. “We’re going to that outpost and hunt down some humans.”

“Outpost?” Laslow heaves a breath.

To which he is ignored. “Y’know, I’m not really much for hunting humans, but…” Her smile fades, “Those Nohrdians hurt us by hurting the Hosidans by hurting Lu-pu by hurting Saku… so, I’ll hunt them, yes!” She quickly nods. “We’re hunting a lot, right?  **Hey** ! I’m also kinda hungry, can we hunt some food?”

See, this is what Kaden had to deal with his whole life whenever Selkie is around… sure, Kitsunes are known for their speed, but Selkie also has seemingly infinite energy. “Selkie, there’s food here, eat that.”

“Aw… but it’s not red or bloody or sometimes wiggling or feathery or flapping or birdies! I want birdies!” Selkie pouts, “Can I hunt some birdies? Please~?”

Kaden sighs, before giving in, “No more than six, and stay within hearing distance of this base camp. If you encounter Nohrians, return here… if you encounter Kitsunes, return here… if you encounter Wolfskin, return here.”

“...Even Lu-pu?” Selkie frowns.

“And who is she with?”

“...Wolfskin.”

“So, what’s the answer?”

“Return here.”

“Correct.” Kaden nods. “Understand?”

“Yeah yeah, I get it. I’ll be back super quick, alright? Oh!” She turns towards Laslow, “Get your sleep in, we’re gonna play again when I get back!” Giggling like she’s mad, Selkie runs out.

“...Kaden?” Laslow pleads after she leaves, “Help. Me… please. She’s insane!”

Kaden glances at the Nohrian human, shrugs, then walks away.

* * *

Creak, open, step. The prison doors open and Kagero wearily shakes her head. So tired, so weak… she’s never felt such a need to rest before. A slight tug on her wrists assures her that her shackles, and only her chains are still there. If she could just probably lay down, she swears she could actually just fall asleep.

“Hana…” Iago.

“Unless you have my requested items, I don’t want to hear a word from you.” She bites back.

He chuckles, “Oh, I know.” A pause, “I must say, we  **almost**  lost the shipment, too.”

“Then it’s here?”

Wait… Kagero’s mind catches up. ‘Almost’? “The robe needs to be tailored, but that is a rather simple matter.” But… Princess Elise said…

“It can be a little loose.” Hana replies.

Princess Elise said that one of her retainers was going to ‘help’ with the shipment. A man of full of nothing but ‘bad luck’. Did… she actually mean he would be a boon? Kagero curses her own fatigue, she had to have been tricked… she fell for some simple charm through a faked happiness. As long… as long as the Nohrians can’t figure out the code… “And don’t you seem deep in thought…” Wait, when did Iago get into her cell?! “Do you have something to share with me?”

“...” She glares back.

“Hmph, very well.” He steps back. “Should you feel the need…” He trails off, before thankfully leaving the area.

Kagero’s eyes grow heavy again, yet she knows she won’t be able to actually fall asleep. It’s shameful to admit, but she wishes she could just… cuddle up to Kaden’s fur again.

* * *

Princess Elise hums as she doodles on a sheet of paper, while lying on her cot and kicking her feet in the air. Things, in her opinion anyway, have been going pretty good! She managed to play it sneaky and visit the new Nohrian outpost that is doing the awful thing of holding  **four**  Hoshidans prisoner. She had Effie help throw a message to the Hoshidans, so now they got direct news. And… Arthur… actually hasn’t returned yet. But! She’s super sure that he managed to disrupt that bad shipment that holds Hana’s… ‘ritual’ things.

She doesn’t care about the ‘honor’ stuff! She won’t let anyone die while she’s got a thing to say about it! Besides, the best way to fix things is to obviously keep living and do good deeds!

So, while Effie is doing something crazy, like picking up trees or wrestling bears, and while Arthur is returning, Elise is playing the next part of her master plan… act like nothing weird just happened. She knows if she does too many sneaky things, then there’ll be a huuuuge chance she’ll be caught. So, this is why she’s just doodling on a sheet of paper, acting very ‘Elise-like’. She’s got this whole thing figured out and…

“Little sister? Elise.” Huh?

“Big brother?” Elise asks, “Door’s unlocked, come on in!”

“Do pardon me…” Xander walks in, looking about as serious as he always does. “How much news of the… ‘war’ have you heard?”

“But, it isn’t a war.” Elise frowns, putting her crayon aside and sits up as Xander takes a chair.

He sighs and rubs his forehead, “It will be, but that’s not what I asked.”

“Big brother… you’re making this sound super-serious. Did something bad happen?”

“Our brother, Prince Leo, has been reported missing.” Elise’s eyes widen, but before she could remark, “Our sister, Princess Camilla, has been captured.” Elise opens her mouth, “Peri, Selena, and Beruka have all been killed, while Laslow has… vanished.” His gaze bores into her, “Do you understand why what we’re fighting is essentially a war?”

“Yeah…” Her eyes go downcast. “Doesn’t mean I like it…”

“We’re past the point of negotiations, sister.”

“I get it, I…”

Something in his expression changed and she immediately silences, “I heard news that royalty has visited the prison containing some valuable people.”

“Really?”

“Elise. You had no authorization for that outpost.”

“I just wanted to check up on Princess Sakura.” A partial lie. “She looks so… horrible. Can’t we get her some better food?”

Xander rubs his temples, “You also… entered their cells? Without guards… without your retainers.” He rises, “What would you have done if any of those Hoshidans held you down, threaten your life for their safety?!” A pause, “Where were your retainers?”

“...outside.”

“Not in the outpost.” Elise doesn’t like how stern he is, he… couldn’t have figured it out already, could he? “Sister… I want to assure your safety. You’re family. But I can’t do that if I don’t know what you  **did** . Why did you go into this outpost? Where were your retainers?” Elise opens and closes her mouth, unsure… trying to figure out the best way to make this seem as, “A very important shipment of high-quality materials has been recently ruined… after a soldier arrived. Arthur.” He continues to press. “Why was Arthur so far away from you? Did you order him to help that caravan?”

“I… asked him, since he really wanted to…”

“You specifically requested for  **that**  shipment, why?” Elise flinches, “Do you care so little for father’s wishes?” Huh? “Those Beast Killer toxins are  **not**  cheap.” Wait, what? “I had an assault planned and ready to go, with those toxins being the last thing required!”

“You mean there weren’t…” Elise claps a hand over her mouth.

Busted.

“Yes?”

“...a white robe, a sword-thing, and… some food?” She looks away.

“That’s a very spe…” Xander pauses. “Elise. Tell me right now. What did you do?”

Another flinch, “I...”

* * *

Down, sidestep, thrust. Lupus goes for another round of rough and fast play fighting with Keaty. She's been making some huge leaps, both literally and figuratively, which pushes Keaty to make sure he doesn't get overwhelmed… which pushes Lupus to try and overwhelm Keaty.

It all adds onto itself.

Lance to mace, Keaty dodges the slower moving weapon, Lupus growls in aggravation… Keaty smirks. Save mace for slower enemies, then. "Eep!" And that half second of thoughts almost caused her to take a swing head on… instead, she felt her arm crack as the one-handed shield she just formed gives way to the much stronger Wolfsegger form Keaty has.

" **Hina** !" Keaty shouts before Lupus's body even stumbled backwards. Such is a risk of play fighting like this. At least it was only a few broken bones. “Lupus, Lupus…” He moves over to her.

“I’m… alive.” She groans as she gently holds her now unshifted arm. “Knew it would happen sooner or later.” She whimpers.

“ **Sister** !” And it’s Vella who arrives first, of course.

“I’m here!” Hina comes in a few moments later, Festal in hand. “Oh, gods…” She sucks some air through her teeth, “Hold on, I got you…” The soothing effects of healing magic enter Lupus’s arm and she can get that strange feeling of things coming back together so fast. “You should let that arm recover for a bit, still.” She advises.

Lupus flexes her hand, still no less amazed at how quickly that was done, sure it’s sore, but… better than probably never being able to use it again. “Thank you.” She smiles.

“I wish you hadn't put yourself in that situation in the first place, but… you’re welcome.” Hina sighs, before turning to Keaty. “Would it be too much to ask for getting reports at the Hoshidan base?”

Keaty narrows his eyes. “Benefits?”

“I’d be able to tell you if there’s been a movement in the Nohrian army, maybe if there’s been any leaked plans.”

“Which would allow us to prepare better.” Lupus nods.

“Alright, go ahead. Quick, though.” Keaty replies.

“Of course… never know when something’s gonna happen, right?” She flashes a confident smile. “I’ll be there and back within an hour or so.” She waves goodbye as she whistles for her Pegasus.

“...Brother?” Vella asks after she left.

“Yes, Velouria?”

“Why did you give her that Beaststone?” A little frustrated, but she’s more curious.

“What Beaststone?” Lupus asks. “I thought you gave her a big ruby?”

The two face Lupus, but it’s Keaty who replies, “I’m… not surprised you forgot the scent.”

“That ruby was a Beaststone.” Vella adds.

“Oh… well, whose was it?”

“The previous alpha’s.” Keaty replies.

A pause as the words actually sunk in, “Wait… if you had the alpha’s Beaststone, then…”

Vella nods, “Those three didn’t care about the pelts or the Beaststones… I went back and got some treasure I left behind.” Vella sniffs, “Now you see why I have such a big problem with it. She’s no Wolfskin, she has no right to have it!” She… went back to the old den?

Keaty stands tall. “And as the new alpha, that means the Beaststone was  **mine** .” Dominance, authority, “I already have my own, and I didn’t want to use his. I  **chose**  to gift it to Hina.”

“You gave a  **human** …” Vella counters.

“Velouria, quiet.” Keaty snaps back, “For a Wolfskin who ‘understands’ Lupus’s human habits the most, you barely know a thing.” Oh dear… “Face it, you only want to ‘know’ the things you like. Making conversation, calling Lupus our sister… sure, you’ll do that. Accepting humans, wanting to learn more… no, you’ll avoid that. It isn’t about the human things, it’s about your obsession with Lupus.”

Vella remains silent, before she simply turns and walks away. “Brother?” Lupus asks.

“She won’t learn, will she?” Keaty sighs. “But… yes. I gave Hina the alpha’s Beaststone… not that she knows that. To her, it’s ‘just a ruby’.”

“...but?”

His tail starts wagging, “The way she smiled at me after she saw what the gift was… I liked that.”

Considering that Keaty opened up on his own, more or less, Lupus decides against poking fun at his tail. “So… you like her? In a human way?”

“I… think so? It’s a… warm feeling. I’m happy to see her, to hear her, to smell her. I’m not seeing her as a mate,” Keaty looks so vulnerable right now… nothing like ‘Keaty the alpha’ or even ‘Keaty the brother’. “Or, I dunno… maybe I’m not feeling what humans feel. Why would they  **want**  to feel this… tightness in their chests? Or finding themselves unable to talk to someone else? It’s like, I want to talk to her, but I lose all my thoughts when she’s near.”

“Have you told her?” Lupus asks, “About how you feel, I mean. Because I felt something similar with Seta, but after we talked about it for a bit, things became easier and I realized we were… are in love with each other.”

“...And you’ll think she would be okay with that? I probably won’t ever be able to be what she wants out of me.”

“Well… you won’t know until you try, right?” Lupus smiles.

He huffs, but nods, “Yeah, you’re right…” A pause, “Don’t say a word about this.” And… back to ‘Keaty the brother’, the one who denies the very things he’s enjoying.

“Your tail’s wagging something fierce…” She finally points out.

“What? Me? No… It’s…”

“Cold? Hurts? Twitching?” Lupus prods, before giggling, “I’ll talk to you later, brother!” She waves and leaves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prince Leo, Prince Leo. Still trying to gain favor with Lupus and the pack, but it seems like your Royal upbringing is preventing a firmer connection from being made. Well that, and obviously the point where you attacked the pack and caused Lupus to stab Sakura and being abducted and, yeah… But, what’s this? Lupus’s partially-shifted dragon maw seems to have… stored that fire spell? You know what that means…
> 
> More custom abilities!
> 
> Oh, and good job Leo… you just secured yourself a spot in the pack. Maybe… maybe Leo will end up surviving the war after all.
> 
> Aw, Kaden really does care for, and maybe even loves, Kagero. Oh, and… heya Laslow. Yep, he’s still alive… quite literally run ragged, but alive. I did enjoy typing up Selkie, and I hope I got her energy down right.
> 
> A short bit with Kagero, followed up by Elise. I’m… honestly not sure if I wanted to keep that Kagero bit in, considering the information is pretty much duplicated in Elise’s part, but I thought that having that seed of doubt placed in would be a good enough reason.
> 
> Now then, Elise! Hrm, wow… she wasn’t nearly as sneaky as she thought she was. At least Xander is trying to be a good big brother. I’d reason that since both Leo and Camilla are missing, then Xander is trying to step up his family duties. Is he good at it? Well, not really, but as of right now, Elise and Garon are all he has left, and only one of those two actually smile.
> 
> Oh, Arthur… you disrupted an important shipment, but not the right one… so, Hana’s shipment was not disrupted, but the Beast Killer toxin vials were shattered. Will Xander wait for another shipment? Or will he just outfit his soldiers with, say, ‘S’ and ‘A’ rank weapons? This could be the advantage the pack needs to have a good chance, if Xander follows through with just high-quality weapons.
> 
> Lastly, back to Lupus, where… oof. Her first on-screen moment of getting nailed by her sparring partner. Good thing there are Festals and a person who can use them to heal! And speaking of that person… that ruby Hinoka has is… actually the previous alpha’s Beaststone? Well then. That and, well, Velouria went back into the old den to grab things… not the smartest move. And, aw… Keaty is feeling love in the air.


	47. The Dawn of the Final Day (12 Hours Remain)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The battle between the pack and A Lord Casander isn’t too far off, maybe… next chapter? Oh boy! Another battle scene, it’ll probably be the longest and largest, ;), one yet. And don’t forget the plan to save Sakura and the others inside the outpost, so maybe…
> 
> Two battles next chapter? *gasp*
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Xander = Casander. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

**** Hana awakens to a very… familiar smell. Some fish… grains? Rice? And… alcohol? Her eyes immediately snap open. It took less than a few seconds to figure out exactly what it is, and with that realization comes a suddenly increased heartbeat. Rice rolls, sushi, and sake… so, it’s here, then. She swears that they better got all of her things right. She rises from her cross-legged position… something she’s been taking ever since she’s made her decision. Coming to terms with herself.

“Hana…” She sees none other than Iago walk up with a maid beside him. “Your meal…” Light-blue hair and a stern face.

“Rice rolls, tuna rolls, and some aged sake.” Coldness is all that’s in her voice as she crosses the gate and places it in front of her, “...Hoshidan.”

“Time?” Hana asks.

A short chuckle, “I don’t know if you’d consider it ‘luck’, but… the ‘rising sun’ has passed within the last hour.”

Hana looks down at her food, then back to Iago. “It  **is**  a stretch, but…” She grabs one of the rice rolls with the pair of chopsticks and looks at it with a resigned gaze, “Considering the circumstances… and what I deserve.” She takes a bite… serviceable. It’s… dry, actually. “My robe and Wakizashi?”

“R-r-right here…  **woah** !” Another maid, this one obviously seeming far clumsier, stumbles into Hana’s view, almost dropping a pure white robe and an… admittedly well crafted Wakizashi. “I-I’m here!” Light pink hair.

“Are these to your standards?” He scowls, then plucks the blade from that maid and shows it to Hana… from a distance.

“...yes.” She nods. “And remember, I’m going to need…”

“A full bath and another small cup of sake before this happens, I remember.” He cuts her off. “Trust me, I’m looking forward to you so carelessly give your life up.”

Down a rice roll, “It’s a more honorable death than you would ever get.” One bite out of the tuna roll… could’ve been done a bit more. Finally, she gets to taste the sake, yep… aged. She isn’t exactly a fan of it, but that’s what needs to be done beforehand. “I won’t need anything else until the bath…” Another bite out of the tuna.

“Heh… I look forward to seeing your blade stained with your blood… Samurai.” He finally leaves.

“W-wait, what?!” The light pink hair maid exclaims, “Flora…”

“It’s none of our business, Felicia.” The other Maid, Flora, replies. “We’re done here.” She walks…

But Felicia remains in place. “...Hana, is it? Uh, that’s your name, right?”

“Leave me be.” She spits back.

“O-oh, okay, well…” She steps back and begins to…

“Felicia?” Kagero calls her out. “A question, if you don’t mind?”

“H-huh? Uh, sure… whaddya need?” Gullible Nohrian.

“I like how your hair’s done…”

“Oh? Oh! Well, uh… thank you, but uh… what’s your question?”

“Would you mind pinning mine up like that?” The sound of chains echo out, “My hair keeps falling in front of my face and I’d like it done. Would you mind?” Another sound of metal, “I can’t do anything to you, if you’re worried about that.”

Hesitation, “...okay, but a simple ponytail… then I really gotta go.” Clank, creak, open. “This might look kinda messy.”

“That’ll be fine.” Kagero agrees, “I would just like it out of the way.”

… Why would Kagero? Ugh, never mind. Hana has a meal to eat.

* * *

“Troops, attention!” Takumi shouts as he approaches the Hoshidan base camp. “My name is Prince Takumi, and I’m here on the Queen’s orders!” Within the next moment, the guards at the gate part way. “Let’s move!”

“Those Nohrians are gonna,  **grrrr** !” Oboro scowls.

“They got a lot to answer for, that’s for sure.” Hinata nods. “When are we going to bring them down, Lord Takumi?”

“We’re going to have to plan an assault with my brother. After that, it’s a matter if we have the resources to.” He answers. “Besides we… wait, who’s… a fox?”

The ‘fox’, who has nine tails mind you, immediately perks up his head and  **glares**  right at Takumi. “Human.”

“Woah… that fox just talked!” Hinata exclaims.

The ‘fox’ rises off of the ground and starts growling, three fiery-blue orbs start orbiting around it… in short, this beast looks pissed off. “What’s a beast doing in the camp?” Oboro as she grabs her naginata. “Seems wild, too and…”

“ **Wait** !  **Hold** !” Big brother shouts as he runs into the fray. “Kaden, wait, wait… they just don’t know what you are!”

“What sort of ‘beast’ or ‘fox’ has nine tails? They  **meant**  that!” ‘Kaden’ growls. “Those…”

“Takumi. Oboro. Hinata. He is Kaden, the Nine-tails that was in Shirasagi… the one that Sakura treated. Kaden, this is my little brother, Takumi and his two retainers, Hinata and Oboro… please, just hold your weapons and, uh… claws.”

A light surrounds Kaden and he turns into the Kitsune that Takumi actually remembers, “Oh… it’s that guy.” Takumi comments. “Hmph, whatever… brother? What’s the plan?”

Ryoma sighs, “Come, let’s go to the war room.” Kaden lies back down as Takumi and his retainers follow Ryoma. “Please show respect, brother. Both Kaden and Selkie are here as allies, willing to give their all for Hoshido.” He explains as they walk.

“Easy girl…” Another voice… Hinoka? Sure enough, Hinoka descends atop her Pegasus… looking and smelling far worse than any human has a right to. “Oh, heya little brother!” She smiles.

“Gods, sister… you smell…” Takumi pauses.

“Huh?” She looks herself over, “I suppose I’m a bit unkempt…”

“‘A bit’? If that’s true, then I’m just a standard Archer… when was the last time you bathed?”

“Two days in a lake with your big sister.” A silence blankets the area…

“Oh, right… you’re with ‘the pack’.” Hinoka, Ryoma, and Takumi enter the war tent, while Oboro and Hinata stay outside. Saizo is probably out there, too… “It’s good to see you’ve at least retained yourself.”

Hinoka shrugs, “Big brother, I came for some reports on the Nohrian movement for the pack… and to deliver some huge news of our own.”

“Gods… well nevermind. It seems the beasts drew in  **both**  of my older sisters…” Takumi sighs.

“Brother! Gods! What is holding you?” Ryoma asks. “Hinoka is still Hinoka. Corrin is still Corrin.”

“That… thing out there is  **not**  our sister. Face it, ‘Corrin’ is gone and she isn’t coming back.”

“Takumi!” The two round on him.

Takumi takes a breath, then decides to change the subject, “I came with news of my own… mother’s going to make the call within two days. She’s going to drop the barrier and declare war on Nohr.”

“...How is mother?” Hinoka asks.

“Weak, tired. She can barely stand or stay awake. She made sure to at least hold out until the army’s arrival.” He looks at the map, before noticing a very apparent  **hole**  in the table, “Did you punch it?” He jests…

“No… it seems we all have our news.” Ryoma clears his throat, “We’ve received a report from Kagero. She has managed to send this through a person who is doing what she can to prevent the war… Princess Elise, the youngest of Nohrian royalty.”

“Wha?” Hinoka gapes.

“Are you certain it isn’t faked?” Takumi asks.

“It’s written in the code that  **only**  my retainers use.” A pause, “Which they update quite frequently.” He reaches behind him onto a table and grabs some papers, “These are the recent army movements.”

“Princess Elise, huh… well then.” Hinoka clears her throat, “We, uh… had a royal visitor of our own and… well. The alpha pretty much threatened and brought… Prince Leo into the pack.”

“Come again?” Takumi.

“According to Lupus, Prince Leo came on his own accord, wanting to warn us. He disarmed himself as he approached her. He then continued to say that Crown Prince Xander is mounting an assault onto the pack… an entire platoon armed with Beast Killers.”

“And you both… believe that the Nohrians would just turn on their home?!”

“Lupus and the other Wolfskin can smell intentions…” Hinoka.

“Kaden identified Kagero’s scent on the letter…” Ryoma.

And, that was the last straw, “And you all are believing those… animals?! What is with them? Why are we so suddenly relying heavily on their judgement?”

“Brother…” Hinoka sighs. “Times are changing, and right now they are providing us with help.”

“I won’t turn away a helping hand, brother.” Ryoma nods. “Kaden lends his, so I take it.”

“Alright, fine. Fine.” Takumi shakes it off, “What’s the plan?”

* * *

Lupus crosses her arms as she looks at A Lord Leo, who in turn is looking at her. Hina hasn’t returned yet and Vella is with Keaty, who is in his den. Dadaan is out hunting with the party. Lupus obviously still doesn’t like A Lord Leo, and she really doesn’t want anything to do with him. But, what the alpha says goes, so she spares snapping the man in half…

No, not really. She also still doesn’t like killing.

“Why did you call yourself Lupus?” A Lord Leo asks.

“Nickname.”

He nods, “By you?”

“From Vella.”

“I see… you do know what it…”

“Wolf.”

He doesn’t look surprised, “That’s correct.”

“And what will you do?”

“Pardon?”

“When A Lord Casander arrives? Will you actually attack him?”

A Lord Leo sighs, “I know this…”

“Yes or no.”

“Yes.” A Lord Leo huffs. “Wouldn’t you do the same if the alpha commanded it?”

“The pack comes first.” Lupus looks away, then says something that A Lord Leo surely wasn’t expecting, “How are you still… clean? You aren’t bathing everyday.”

He snaps his fingers, “Magic. Would you…?”

“No, I don’t like how you smell. It isn’t natural.” She touches some of her ‘filth-covered’ and ‘greasy’ hair… it’s fine to her.

“You’d attract many males if you cleaned yourself up, you know. You do have the type of body women desire.”

“Good looks don’t make strong offspring.” A pause, “Wait… are you saying you like how I look?”

“...If you took care of your body.”

Lupus unfolds her arms, smirks, and all but stalks the man as she walks closer, “You like how I look.” She repeats.

“Lupus. Your body odor is overpoweringly awful, your hair is riddled with dirt and twigs, your skin is peppered with blood stains, your clothes are ripped, so much of your skin is showing, and you are in dire need of an oral cleaning.” He narrows his eyes, “So no. I don’t like how you look right now.”

“And what is it about me that you  **do**  like?”

Perhaps he was imagining her as he would like her... ‘clean’, because A Lord Leo just cleared his throat with flushed cheeks. “Surely you already know what makes a woman attractive.”

“To a Wolfskin, yes. To a human, no.” Lupus nods, enjoying this far too much… but then again, Dadaan, Keaty, Vella, and Hina are all not available, and she wants her fun somehow.

“Well…” His eyes look over her as she gives him the most cheesy smile she ever had, “Your, uh… figure for one and, erm…” She has inched a bit closer, “Your breasts are…”

“Yeeees?” She’s within arm’s reach and there’s nothing he can really do about it. “I do remember Hina wanting me to use a bra… so then… human males like female’s teats?” And she somehow manages to sound completely innocent while asking that. “And whaddya mean by figure? C’mon, show me!”

“Can we do something else?”

“Nope.” She grabs a hand, making sure to squeeze it tight enough to let him know who is in charge right now. “So, this ‘figure’...? Where does it start?”

“This is highly innapprop…  **ah**!” She brings her hand to almost a crushing force.

She briefly frowns, “I like how you are squirming in place. I’m bored. I want to see you keep acting like that so I can have fun. We. Are. Continuing.” Now then, “What is ‘the figure’ like? If you need to touch me, then touch me.”

With the bribery of having his hand crushed by Lupus’s absurd strength, he raises his other hand and shakily touches her waist, “Th-this…” And A Lord Leo is even stuttering! Lupus has to really try and keep herself from laughing out loud. His hand then starts to move up, basically just grazing her side. “Lupus, please, can we…”

“What else do you like?” With the unspoken change ‘if I was clean’.

“Long hair is a…”

Flap, flap… Hina lands soon after, making one of the single most funny scenes Lupus has ever experienced. Lupus has a cheesy grin as A Lord Leo has one hand traveling from the side of her body to her hair, his other hand still held quite tightly and he has a flushed face. “Hey…  **Hey** !” And of course, she responds with that fiery way that Lupus has come to expect, “Get away from  **my**  sister!” She all but stomps over.

“Princess Hinoka, I swear, this isn’t…”

“And I swear, if I see you making any more advances on her like that…”

And at last, Lupus could no longer contain her laughter. A Lord Leo sighs while Hina gives her a strange look. “H-Hina… you should’ve… seen the l-look on his… face, hee hee!”

“...huh?”

“He thinks I’m attractive!” She has a huge smile on her face.

“ **If**  she was  **clean** !” A Lord Leo desperately adds. “A-and she was forcing me to…”

“You like how I look.” She smiles. “He likes how I look.”

“And why is this so…?” Hina asks, still confused.

“She’s bored.” A Lord Leo answers her unfinished question. “Please tell me you’re going to do something with her…”

Then Hina smiles, “Nope. I have a report to deliver… have fun!” Now knowing the full story, Hina happily leaves A Lord Leo to his new, current fate.

“Gods no! Wait… ugh. Save me, please…” He mutters.

“So, A Lord Leo?” Lupus asks, “You were saying?” The grip tightens once more.

Again, she is having far more fun with this than she should have any right to.

* * *

Princess Hinoka rubs her gifted ruby as she awaits Keaty’s return from his own reports with Dadaan. Her trip to the Hoshidan base camp both lasted longer than she expected, and left her… bothered. She  **was**  expecting to just have a trip there and back with a new set of reports, but she was surprised to see Takumi there…

And bothered about how aggressively he reacted with anything having to do with the beast races and, well… nothing more than his reaction to Lupus. He… basically disowned her! Without a second thought, all because of her choice of staying with the pack! And… and not to mention how he regarded Hinoka at first. Yes, she knows she smells, it’s only a logical thing when there are no steady access to the perfumes and shampoos like they do in Shirasagi. Yes, she’s aware of the constant odor lingering over the Wolfskin den.

But that’s just how things are. It honestly reminds her of sparring sessions… except that the post-training smell never ends. She honestly doesn’t have a problem with that.

She looks back down at the ruby… if she lets light hit it at certain angles, she noticed that there’s a distinct shine to it… she then brings it up to her chest and holds it close. It’s warm, a gentle kind of warm.

“...So, you like it?” And then she startles as she notices that Keaty is looming over her. His tail is wagging and there’s a small smile on his face.

“Yeah, I do… it’s really pretty.” She nods as she goes to pocket it… then startles  **again**  as he grabs that hand.

“Then don’t hide it, okay?” Seriousness.

“I don’t want to get it all dirty or…”

“It’s supposed to get dirty and bloodied,” He proudly shows off his Beaststone, “They all are…”

“Well, this is a… wait a second.” That shine that she sees… “Keaty? Is this a Beaststone?”

“Yep.” His goes to a relatively ‘open’ pocket. “It’s the previous alpha’s.”

“But… I can’t use Beaststones.” She states the obvious. “Wouldn’t it be of greater use to another Wolfskin?”

“All of my pack already has one. There’s no benefit to having more than one.” He pulls his hand back, “Which is why I want you to have it… it does have a lot of meaning to us… for you.”

She smiles as she rolls it around, “Well, I’m going to need something like what Lupus has, so it won't stay hidden.” She looks up at him, “But, until then…” She goes through and puts it in a pocket anyway. “It may be hidden, but it won’t ever be far from my thoughts… thank you, Keaty.” A pause, “I kinda wish I had something to give to you, then…”

“A gift for a gift?” He tilts his head, “That makes it sounds like it never ends.”

“It… kinda doesn’t, actually. Compassion, kindness… they are things humans do.” She takes a step forward, “And, well… I think…” Heartbeat races up, “I know a… gift. It’s a ‘human thing’ so you might not like it and…”

“That is?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Uh… close your eyes?” She sheepishly smiles.

His fur bristles, if just slightly, “...okay. Now what?”

Tip-toes, “Just… hold still for a… moment.” Hinoka brings herself up to him, not that he is really tall, and she gently brushes her lips on his. He startles at first, but otherwise doesn’t actually do anything. Fair enough.

It doesn’t stop her heart from hammering, though. She… kissed Keaty. A human to a Wolfskin. She pulls back as her eyes frantically look over him. Was it too much? Will he take it the wrong way? Will he… “I’m guessing that’s something important to you?” ruin the mood with his lack of understanding.

“Yeah, really important.” She nods. “It’s an intimate gesture for very close people.” Her face flushes.

“Hm, well… I like your taste.” He licks his lips and she shivers, “It’s just spicy enough to leave me…” He lowers himself just a bit, “wanting more.”

Well, she landed herself in this situation. Yet, with surprising restraint, Keaty doesn’t just go for another, he’s… actually waiting for her.

Surely the reports can wait a few minutes, right?

“Just a little.” She nods and he is on her the next possible moment. He’s basically just copying what she did, lips brushing up onto her, but… gods. Her whole body just lights up at his much more forceful nature! She hesitantly reaches out to hold him tighter and…

“Having fun?” The moment is now completely ruined by Lupus, quite literally, poking her head next to them.

The embrace breaks, but it’s only Hinoka who’s flustered. “Sister!” She huffs.

“I like her taste.” Keaty bluntly states.

“I like Dadaan’s taste.” Lupus adds. “Makes me want more.” She looks at Hinoka, “Do you like Keaty’s taste?”

“That’s not an appropriate question to ask out loud.”

“...But kissing like that is?” Lupus counters with a smile. “Your scent is getting really strong, too…”

Oh, for the love of… “I have the reports from the Hoshidan base camp.” She finally get onto the correct topic, “Here…” She hands them to Keaty…

Who simply stares at it, “I can’t read.” He flatly points out.

“Oh… right. Then, I guess I can… read them to you?” Another sheepish smile.

“Can I join? I need to learn more lettering anyway!” Lupus adds. “Or would you rather go with Keaty into his den… alone?”

“Gods sister, what is wrong with you? Why are you so… sexually inclined right now?”

“She’s not in heat.” Keaty shamelessly supplies. “And she will also be joining Dadaan for the next scouting, right?”

Lupus tilts her head, but nods, “Okay, I’ll go find him…” She walks off without a single complaint.

Keaty gives a flat look at Hinoka. “Alright, what do these reports say?” A pause, “If you’re worried about me making advances right now, don’t.”

Hinoka gulps… ‘right now’. “O-okay, so let’s start with the recent enemy movement…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting off with the… starting point: Hana. And, oh dear… “Dawn of the Final Day” *enter Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask new day tune here*. Well, that means that this chapter ended well before the sunset, so if Ryoma’s going to go through with a plan, then now is the time to do it! Or else, well, y’know… Hana’s insides will be spilling out to the outside. Remember if I go through with this, I ain’t doing the ‘PG’ version displayed by Ryoma in the Conquest path... thrusting the sword in and carving across the abdomen. Well that, and Hana isn’t going to have someone to end her pain early.
> 
> Oh, and I suppose the Ice Tribe twins made an appearance, er… Felicia’s first, but Flora’s second. At least Felicia was willing to pin up Kagero’s hair.
> 
> Ah-ha! Takumi’s second appearance, but… oh my. Such hostility there. Seems like his spite factor rose quite a bit from his last appearance. Sure, being blunt about someone’s appearance is one thing, but an open insult to allies like that?
> 
> Lupus… and A Lord Leo. Another conversation with the half-dragon… teasing him? Of course, that comes after he very clearly vocalizes Lupus’s current appearance. Not that it bothered her, obviously. At least she’s having fun?
> 
> Lastly is Princess Hinoka who… oh, okay. Keaty’s first kiss, well then. Aaand, Lupus is back for another round of teasing.


	48. This is War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Could it be time? Crown Prince Xander, a platoon outfitted with Silver and Brave weapons against the Wolfskin pack that houses Princess Corrin and Princess Hinoka? How will Xander react when his own brother turns his tome against him? Will High Prince Ryoma finally lead the charge onto the Nohrian outpost and free Princess Sakura, Kagero, and Subaki… and hopefully save Hana from herself?
> 
> It’s time to drop the Lupus shenanigans and get serious.
> 
> Regardless, this won’t end the way you think it will.
> 
> Side note: Don’t forget that Lupus can’t say the Divine Weapons names properly, or the letter ‘X’. In this case it is mainly going from Siegfried to Segfried… as in Seg-fried, like fried chicken. Oh, and there are two Lupus PoV and two Kagero PoV.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Xander = Casander. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

**** Princess Elise rises from her super-comfy cot and has good stretch. As tough as it was, being honest with big brother actually ended up saving her from a lot more trouble. Still, it was nerve-wracking as he went over the crimes and charges she  **would**  have been hit with had she didn’t have the Crown Prince as family. It goes to show just how much Xander does care… beyond his never-ending stern face and furrowing brows.

…

Then again, Elise  **is**  also the only family he has left within reach. According to him, Princess Camilla has been captured by the Hoshidans and Prince Leo just… vanished. Something really struck a chord with her when she heard Xander’s voice crack like that. Elise really doesn’t remember a time when Xander was about to cry, but there he was…

Before the meeting ended and it was back to ‘Stern Crown Prince Xander’. Elise shakes her head and readies herself for another day, but… not just any day. This is the day that Xander is going to lead a platoon against the Wolfskin pack that has given King Garon a looooot of trouble. However, due to her super heroic but also incredibly unlucky retainer, Arthur… Xander is leading that platoon without any Beast Killers. Silver and Brave is all they have.

Yet, beyond even all of that… Elise is scared. She has this pit in her stomach that is telling her something  **will**  happen. Well, for one, she knows that Arthur didn’t get the shipment she wanted him to get, which means that Hana is going to…

Ugh, it makes her ill just thinking about it.

The second is Xander’s raid against ‘the pack’. Those Wolfskin managed to overcome Princess Camilla, her retainers. Prince Leo, his retainers. Then after all of that, Princess Corrin apparently killed two soldiers, heavily wounded Niles, and drug Laslow away, by herself. And Laslow had a  **Wyrmslayer** !

Elise is to stay in her room for today, but knowing her nature… that won’t happen. The only big question is… which one is she going to stubbornly march to? Will she make sure that big brother comes back healthy, but more importantly,  **alive** ? Or will she go to the outpost to make sure that Lady Sakura’s retainer doesn’t cut herself open?

Elise doesn’t like having to make a tough decision like this.

* * *

Lupus looks beside her, to Dadaan, as the two walk along the scouting route. She takes a breath, then moves a step closer, feeling rather bold…

For someone who got the other pummeled by the alpha.

“No.” He huffs as he takes a step away. “Not until he and I duel.”

“...I know.” She frowns. “But, I want  **you** .”

“You can’t change Wolfskin rules this quickly.”

“I know.” Lupus repeats. “But Hina can make big moves, why can’t I?”

“Because she’s with the alpha. I’m honestly more surprised the alpha hasn’t held her down to put her in her place yet.” A pause. “It’s an odd time for a scouting group.”

“Don’t hunting groups usually go out at this time? Maybe Keaty’s expecting something?”

“That… A Lord… Casander?” Dadaan guesses.

“Then that would make A Lord Leo’s news really old.” Lupus tilts her head, before noticing how suddenly on edge he is, “Humans?”

He huffs, “No. It’s just… A Lord Leo.”

“What about him?”

“He touched you.”

“I let him, his expression were funny.”

“He has no right to touch you.” He  **growls** .

Which gave Lupus an idea, “Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it?” She smiles. “What would you do if I let him touch me again?”

His eyes narrow and she can practically feel the pure dominance coming from him. “I’d make sure he knew who you belonged to…”

She takes her next step closer, “And who do I belong to?” She tilts her head slightly up, making direct eye contact, “Hm, Dadaan?  **Ah** !” And he snags her by her body, then pins her to the ground. Here it is… he’s going to make his mark, he’s…

Backs off. “Nice try, Lupus.” He smirks.

“Aw…” She groans as she gets up, “I really thought I had you.”

To which he grabs her, again, and pulls her closer. “No…  **I**  have  **you** .” Oh, and there it is… “I’ll win that fight, and I will claim  **you** .” Lupus’s breath shortens and her body shivers as Dadaan releases her, again, and resumes walking, as if he didn’t just cause a female to shake in pure need. “C’mon, we’ve got some scouting to do.”

“U-uh, yeah…” Biting her lip, she resumed walking with Dadaan. “Scouting…” Yet, the only thing she’s really ‘scouting’ right now is his back, where that patch of purple fur rests. Oh, she would like another chance to touch his un… “Oof.” And walks right into him. “Dadaan?” A pause, his ears twitch… her ears twitch. “One, two…”

“Twelve?”

“Twenty?!” The mixture of nearly two dozen worth of human scents fill the air beyond, maybe a half dozen riding horses. Neither of the two even need to share a look before they both bolt back towards the den. A quick howl from him, hopefully low enough to avoid alerting A Lord Casander. His is met with Keaty’s own… call to arms. And…

And Lupus was surprised to notice that the pack was moving towards them. Except Hina, she must be in the air right now. “We’re taking her suggestion.” Is what Keaty started off with. “Hands off Beaststones, up in the trees, go! Drop down, get them by surprise, then shift.”

“Where’s A Lord Leo?” Lupus asks.

“With Hina… she’ll fly down and add to the distraction after we drop.” Keaty swiftly answers… so, Hina and Keaty went into the den to… do tactics? “Lupus, that includes you… up.” With an almost practiced ease, the pack takes a temporary home up in the relatively dense leaves… slightly spread out. The next set of actions are obvious, stay silent. Don’t move.

“...is right beyond this last set of trees.” Some voice says after several minutes of absolute stillness.

“Oh… I’ve been waiting to dice up some freaks!” A highly aggressive male exclaims… Lupus can smell his  **lust**  for blood.

“Tell me where to stand, and none shall pass.” A sturdier male states, the smell of a lot of metal is around him.

The leaves below them shift around as the ‘platoon’ draws closer. “Oh, and the gold from this will be sweeet!” A woman whispers. Axe, lance, axe… that’s the order of the latest three voices. Female axe is… honestly competing with Lupus with how little clothing she seems to have. Male axe is sorta in the same position, though he did seem to think about defense more, and as such has several pieces of leather and metal guarding him… both of them has axes that would put A Lady Camilla’s to shame. Lastly is the male lance, who towers above everyone that isn’t riding a horse.

“This will be done quickly and without mercy.” Yet another male states, but unlike the others, Lupus can  **feel**  the raw power in this one… a man who is outfitted with probably the best armor she has ever seen, rivaled only by Red. His horse is no less decorated with armor. A single sword rests by his side, glowing with a disturbing dark purple and red. That must be A Lord Casander. “These beasts have caused His Majesty more than enough problems. By tonight’s end. They. Will. Die.”

It’s only through sheer willpower that none of the pack growls at the term ‘beasts’. Keaty truly has them all controlled through absolute respect. But, there’s one thing that Lupus has noticed… not a single Beast Killer. Sure, their current weapons look as deadly as any other… she internally sighs, no use complaining about it.

A shuffle of leaves causes the platoon below them to stop… it’s time, then. One, two, three Wolfskin drop, then more, then the rest. The fall alone is enough to crack bones and dent armor. Then the familiar glow soon follows. About seven soldiers dead and, quite literally, standing in their places are seven hulking Wolfskin. Keaty is the last of the beastfolk to drop… as a Wolfsegger. A bloody patch is all that’s left of the human that was below him. “And it seems the wolves have adopted some… tactical sense.” A Lord Casander scoffs. “Soldiers. To arms!  **For Nohr** !” He wastes no time sending in his men…

Which is when Lupus drops. She brings her legs together to form a spear of sorts… shredding through the relatively lightly-armored human below her. Legs to normal, one arm a lance, the other a maw, and her helmet. She dons her ‘normal’ set-up for her partial shifting stance. “Oh, this will be bloody…” The bald man huge-axe wielder laughs as he literally slices through a Wolfskin…

A  **human**  just sliced open a  **Wolfskin** .

Lupus growls, but remains focused on the ones around her. Can’t lose focus… even the smallest moment lost could be the difference between life and death. She weaves under one sword, thrusts her lance into an axe wielder next to her, pushes herself closer to said axe wielder to avoid an opposing lance… then yelps as that same sword wielder takes a bite out of her… the self-forming scales did little against whatever metal that sword is made of…

At least it’s not a ‘Wyrmslayer’.

She shifts the lance into a shield, then snaps at the striking sword wielder, only for him to deftly step back, she then raises her shield against the lance. Blocked, if barely. These are extremely high-quality weapons. She sidesteps a cut, then swings her leg with her sword-lance, though the man’s armor is just thick enough to keep her from spilling his insides.

Highly skilled, exceptional armor, and deadly weapons… A Lord Casander didn’t waste anything.

A glance to her flanks show that the two huge-axe wielding people have quite the amount of blood on them, but to Lupus’s horror… it isn’t their blood. The giant of a man is standing guard to the barely-clothed woman and his bulk and strength is actually enough to stop the incoming Wolfskin strikes.

...They underestimated humans again. It seems the only real advantage the pack had was the surprise attack. Lupus gulps… then is forced to dodge as a blade of red and purple  **almost**  cleaves her open. “Princess Corrin…”

“A Lord Casander.” He seems unbothered by her inability to pronounce the letter ‘X’.

“This… pack of wolves has caused far too much strife for my father, King Garon.” She lunges, shield to lance, and thrusts, only for him to easily dodge. “You would’ve made an excellent trainee…” He moves forward and slices.

Her only saving grace is that the soldiers that  **was**  around her has moved to other targets. So, a one-on-one? “Greedy, uncaring, wasteful human.” She spits back.

He points Segfried at her, “I will become what Nohr needs to thrive… surely you’d do the same for your beasts?”

She growls, “They’re my family, the pack.” A lance swipe… but she shifts it into a mace mid-swing, giving it the speed from her lance, but the force of her mace.

His special sword blocks it without a single dent, though it’s clear his sword arm is shaken from the force alone. “The anger father held when he returned without you…” He returns her blow with one of his own, making his first slice, literally cutting off two scales that forms her ‘mace’, “You think yourself strong?! I will show you strength!” Mace and maw to double-arm shield, and she yelps as she feels that sword almost…  **almost**  rip through her reinforced scale.

How?!

Double-arm scale back to maw… and she notices that two of the fingers on her right hand have been severed… those must have been the two scales she lost on her mace. She gulps. “Sister!” Vella charges in, completely enraged. A Lord Casander raises his sword to block, only for the sheer force behind Vella’s fist to slide him back. He doubles his defense with placing his other hand on the flat side of his blade as she hits again and again.

“Damn wolf!” And he strikes back, a single clean cut across Vella’s chest. No, no. No no no! She falls… alive? Lupus can’t tell, simply because A Lord Casander has already moved to strike Lupus again. Where’s Hina?! They need healing!

“ **Hina** !”

“Did you really think I’d only bring foot-soldiers?” He raises his sword skyward… Hina is dealing with two Wyvern riders. She must have let A Lord Leo down, because Lupus can’t see him with her. “I was aware of Princess Hinoka’s presence. I came to kill this pack, and that is what I intend to do. Beruka, Selena, Peri, Laslow, their blood stains your claws. Camilla, Leo, they are MIA due to you and yours. I will avenge them!” He charges for another slice, but Dadaan knocks him to the side with a surprising amount of speed, but unlike Vella, he opts to retreat back towards the remaining…

Keaty, Dadaan, and about three others. The almost no-clothed woman hasn’t suffered a single hit, though the giant of a man is bleeding in a number of places and some of his armor is ripped off. The bald head man is only using one arm. The only ‘good’ thing out of this is that A Lord Casander and those three are all that’s left… well, them and the Wyvern Riders that are keeping Hina from healing.

“I will finish you… die!” A Lord Casander charges towards a weakened and bleeding Lupus.

“Brynhildr…” Or he would have, had a magical tree not just torn into several spots across his body. A Lord Leo arrives. “Hello, ‘brother’.”

“Leo?! What is the meaning of this!” A Lord Casander yells. “Have you lost your mind?”

“No, I simply stand aside the ones who fight for peace, not conquest.” He calmly replies.

“You… betray  **Nohr** ? Your  **family** ?!” He raises Segfried at him.

“Have you seen Lady Sakura’s state? The most kind and peaceful person I have ever met. She wished Flora well, despite her coldness. She wanted to help me, despite my initial hardness. She never held a single seed of spite… but the second she fell into the ‘care’ of Iago is the second she was tortured, and for what?” A Lord Leo’s voice slowly raises, “ **Is that what Nohr is** ?! Is that what you fight for? Deception? Torture? There was no need for this damn war in the first place! No, the one you so blindly follow wouldn’t want peace unless it meant serving the Queen of Hoshido’s head on a godsamn platter! What will happen if Nohr wins? Will Hoshido be enough?!”

“You dare question the Crown? Are you even listening to yourself? You’ve… you’ve lost all your sense! What did these… beasts do to you, brother?” A thump echoes as a Wyvern slams into the ground.

Angered, A Lord Leo holds his tome out, “Brynhildr!” Another tree, but this time A Lord Casander was ready as he stepped back and sliced through the branches with his sword. “Lupus, I stand with you.” He simply states. “Here.” He tosses a glass vial. “Healing.”

Honesty… so, without question she popped the top off and down the vile-tasting liquid in one go, instantly feeling the effects. Sure, a Festal would do so much more, but every little bit counts. “For  **Nohr** !” A Lord Casander charges in, going for Lupus.

She dodges the first and returns it by snapping at him with her maw, out goes a chunk of his armor, but that’s it… it didn’t reach his skin. A howl, two… that leaves Keaty, Dadaan, and one other. Vella is still out, she might have even bled out by now… “Ngh!” And that hesitation costed Lupus a cut across her shoulder, her scales doing effectively nothing against his sword.

“Brynhildr!” A Lord Casander raises his guard, Lupus steps back from the incoming tree and… Nothing. Nothing happened. “Wh-what?” A Lord Leo is as surprised as she is. A single glance shows that his tome sorta… dims? “Brynhildr!” He tries again, and nothing.

“A fitting consequence. Your Divine Weapon was made in Nohr, for Nohrian use… and it seems since you’re using it against your  **own people** , then it deems you unworthy…” Segfried still glows brightly. “Traitor.” Without his tome, A Lord Casander focuses on Lupus. Sure, A Lord Leo has a sword, but simply glancing at him tells Lupus that the sword is more for a last second self-defense against a close attacker, rather than charging in.

Finally, a second thud as the other Wyvern drops and Hina is finally able to swoop in. “Here ya go!” She flies by with a use of her Festal, then flies up and over to the remaining… two Wolfskin, Keaty and Dadaan. Lastly, she swoops by Vella and at least makes sure that the wound is closed, but Lupus has the distinct feeling she has already lost too much blood. Which means that only two beastfolk remain in this pack.

It’s technically not even a pack anymore.

He’s… going to win, isn’t he? Lupus is weakened… those two axe wielders and one lance have yet to fall, Keaty and Dadaan have to be wearing out by now. Hina just got done killing two Wyvern riders before she could even join, and A Lord Leo can’t use his only tome.

But, she also refuses to just lie down and accept defeat. She taps into her Dragonstone… might as well go all out. She only hopes that fully transforming will give her the edge she needs.

* * *

Kagero opens her eyes and stretches for what she can stretch. “Hana?” She doesn’t know the time of day, so she isn’t sure if the sun is close to…

“Yes, Kagero?” Okay, so she’s still here.

Frankly, right now, Kagero is getting more concerned for Lady Sakura’s well-being. She’s  **rarely**  awake, it’s like… are they starving her? “Hana… for what it’s worth, I apologize.” Subaki speaks up.

“What’s done is done, Subaki. Just do as I did and come to terms with it.” A stiff reply, but Kagero can pick up the emotion behind it. If she were to look, she’s certain that Hana is shedding tears.

“And there’s nothing I can say to…”

“It’s either Seppuku or the executioner’s axe, Subaki.” Hana cuts him off. “At least I have the chance to choose my own death.”

“And you know as well as I do that without a second, Seppuku is far more painful.” Kagero states. “You’re going to be writhing in agony for…”

“I  **know** !” Hana snaps back. “But I failed my duties, I tarnished my honor. There is no other…”

“Duties.” Subaki interrupts. “It’s the duty of retainers to protect our assigned liege from all harm… with our lives, if the situation calls for it.”

“I’m aware of our…”

“ **All**  harm, Hana.” He repeats. “You do realize what will happen if you let your need for honor surpass your duties, correct?”

“You wouldn’t understand, Subaki. You haven’t gone…”

“You’ll be harming Lady Sakura in a way that can’t be mended!” He hoarsely shouts. “All harm… that would include  **emotional**  damage! How do you think she’ll take to knowing that you sliced yourself open?! By going through with this, you’d be trading your regained honor for breaking your oath as a retainer! And… since your honor was lost by ‘failing your duties’, wouldn’t you also lose your honor with this? You gain nothing, you lose everything, Lady Sakura will mourn your death, and Hoshido will lose one of the best Samurais.”

Kagero nods to herself, he’s right. “And what do you expect me to do? Somehow gather the strength to kill off every last Nohrian here to make sure we all live? That’s absurd!” Hana bites back… and she’s also right. If she doesn’t go through with Seppuku, then she’ll just be killed anyway, and there’s no reasonable way for her to fight through all the Nohrians… even if she was at her peak. So, now would be even worse… lack of nutrients, training, armor, and those metal shards that are still embedded in her chest. It’s an impossible feat.

“Silence, you worms.” Iago walks in. “And allow me to add this: If Hana even tries to slither her way out of this, I will have the both of you executed!” The gate to Hana’s cell opens. “Time for your… bath.” A sneer. “You have a performance to lead.” Step, step… Kagero hones what little she has left to hear when he’s out of earshot.

Due to their weakened state, Iago has left only one guard and this guard’s shift is roughly at its midway point. “Subaki…” Kagero nods. She has also since undone her ponytail, managing to hold onto those hairpins and now’s the time. She doesn’t trust Iago… she has that sinking feeling that he’ll have them killed anyway. Flick, bend, adjust… Kagero unlocks her own shackles with a skill that puts almost anyone else to shame… except Saizo, and maybe Kaze. She holds her breath as she approaches her cell gate. A few twists and turns later, and the gate’s unlocked.

But there’s no way she can open it without alerting the guard. Her mind races for a quick solution. Her vanishing skills won’t help much, as weakened as she is, but… it might be enough. Kagero bangs the gate open and slips into a semi-visible state, then leans against the wall on the side of the guard. “Hey! What’s the… hold on.” Step, step. He pokes his head in…

She pokes his eyes out. It’s far bloodier than she would prefer, but options are limited. With one hand over his mouth, she bangs his head against the bars, then the floor. One twist is all that’s needed. Keys, a sword, and some armor that probably won’t fit any of them. Kagero drags the body in and moves to unlock Subaki’s cell… then Lady Sakura and, gods…

Kagero has to keep herself from gagging. They… those Nohrians  **are**  starving her. It would explain why she’s lacking so much energy. Just enough food and water to keep her alive. Her already frail body is now deathly skinny. There’s no way she’ll be able to resume her Priestess training for months! Subaki coughs behind her. “Lady… Sakura?”

Kagero shakes her head and unlocks the gate, to which Subaki enters. “Are you able to pick her up?” With the unsaid rule of ‘without hurting her’.

Subaki kneels down and gently scoops up the youngest Hoshidan Princess. “Given the bare minimum.” He comments. “Most days anyway, it also seems like she’s outright denied food for probably days at a time. Those… monsters.” He holds her close. “Do you really think we can even escape?”

“I think that Iago will have us killed regardless, so… better off taking a chance.” Kagero grimly nods, “Let’s move out.” The Ninja can feel the lack of strength, this sword is so much heavier than it should be. She balances it through her hand and gives it a few test swings. Dawn Dragon, if there’s ever a time where Kagero would pray for a miracle, now’s the time. Kagero plants herself at the exit and listens… of course, her hearing isn’t as sharp as it should be, either. And gods only know how long it will take to adjust to the sunlight  **if**  they make it that far.

So many doubts are plaguing her mind, but there’s no other time, if she withheld even another day of this treatment, she doubts she would’ve been able to kill that guard.

She opens the door to an empty hallway from both ways. She also hopes this isn’t built as a labyrinth, they can’t afford to waste energy backtracking. She picks the right and keeps herself on the wall, making sure to keep a steady pace, lest she outrun Subaki.

“Hm…?” Lady Sakura groans.

“Sh, Lady Sakura.” Subaki coos. “Please, stay quiet.”

“Did… Prince… Leo?” She wearily looks ahead.

“Forgive my assertiveness, Lady Sakura, but you need to stay silent.” Kagero harshly whispers.

A pause, “H-Hana?”

“She’s ahead of us, Lady Sakura.” Subaki smoothly lies, “She is clearing a path, so please… rest. I’ll protect you.”

Sated by his confidence, Lady Sakura nods, before cuddling up next to Subaki, “So… cold.” She whimpers as she falls back asleep.

Kagero and Subaki share an intense look, before… stairs? Whew, right way, then. And thankfully Lady Sakura is asleep, because Kagero also happens to hear footsteps. Subaki picked up on this and plants himself on a nearby corner. There’s two, this is going to be one of her toughest battles. Under-geared, improperly armed, and lacking training. Step, step…

Then shake? A multitude of roars echo throughout the building, and it causes the two guards to sprint back up. That wasn’t… Hana, was it? No, it sounded too aggressive, like... “ **For the glory of Hoshido** !”

And it seems as if the Dawn Dragon answered the prayer, as she hears none other than Lord Ryoma’s voice boom throughout the area, as if he was no more than a lance’s reach away. More steps, more voices. “Subaki, let’s go!” And they can use that noise to their advantage, move a bit quicker. Up the stairs, a quick pause for others, then keep moving. Kagero, Subaki carrying Lady Sakura moves at a much faster pace. The sound of fighting grows louder and louder.

“...Kagero!?” And she recognizes that gruff voice anywhere. Saizo, alongside Lord… Takumi’s retainers?

“Oh those rags are some of the worst…” Oboro scowls.

“Uh… ‘those rags’ should be the least of your worries.” Hinata points at Subaki.

Oboro and Saizo follow his gaze, “Those…” And she dons that face she’s so ‘famous’ for, “They’ll  **pay**  for that! Every last one of them is…”

“Please, could one of you carry her for me? My arms are… lacking.” Subaki asks.

“Sure thing!” Hinata sheathes his katana and steps forward. “Of course, as long as I’m protected now, heh.” He finds the nerve to chuckle.

And Kagero is actually thankful for that. “Saizo, how many?” She asks as they resume.

“Lord Ryoma, Lord Takumi, Lady Hinoka’s retainers, and… those two Kitsunes. There are also a number of standard army troops.” A pause, “Her Highness has declared war, and she’ll be dropping the barrier by the end of today, which is why we launched our attack.”

“Hey, uh… where’s Hana?” Oboro.

“Iago took her to go through with Seppuku.”

“Wait, what?!” Hinata exclaims, “Nobody said nothing about Seppuku! That’s… stupid! She should be upholding her duty as a retainer over her honor, the… Lady Sakura will be devastated!”

“Yeah, I agree.” Oboro nods. “With all due respect, Lady Sakura isn’t emotionally strong.”

“It was either Seppuku or Iago would have an executioner behead her.” Subaki supplies. “He wanted to, ugh… ‘see her disembowel herself’.”

“A sick need to see the ‘voluntary suicide’.” Kagero adds. “Lady Sakura… also spoke of Lord Leo, she claimed he would save us.”

“He can’t do a thing as long as he’s with ‘the pack’.” Saizo spits out.

“Uh, I’m sorry…” Subaki, “Lord Leo is… with… the pack? The same one that houses Lady Hinoka and Lupus?”

“That is correct. Lady Hinoka came this morning asking for reports. According to Lord Leo, Crown Prince Xander is planning an assault. A platoon’s worth of soldiers, all armed with Beast Killers.”

“Gods, so much has happened…” The once Pegasus Knight sighs.

“Uh guys? Lady Sakura is like… as light as a feather.” Hinata, finally, points out.

“Hinata, she’s clearly malnourished.” Oboro states.

“She’s starving. They haven’t been feeding her everyday.” Kagero clarifies… then hisses as the light of the  **setting**  sun nearly blinds her. “Have they found Hana?”

“Kagero? Kagero!” Ryoma is the first to notice her. “Subaki and… and…” He falters among a massacre of blood and bodies… clearly a one-sided fight. “Little… sister?” A fury lines his eyes as he takes in her incredibly delicate state. “Healer! Azama!”

“Milord, she isn’t wounded… only starving.” Kagero quickly informs him. “Please milord, breathe.”

And he does just that, one deep breath. “Hinata, get my sister to the rallying point. Kagero, Subaki, you two as well, you’re both unfit for battle.”

“Lord Ryoma, please… we understand the need for honor, but… convince Hana. She can’t go through with Seppuku.” Kagero pleads.

He nods, “I’ll do what I can.” Kagero then follows Hinata back to the rallying point. Lord Ryoma’s right, Kagero and Subaki would be a hindrance.

* * *

The giant of a man has finally fallen, the bald head axe man lies dead, the woman without much clothes keels over, but… Keaty and Dadaan have suffered from that fight, the latter is forced to shift back from wounds, while the former is about at that same point. A Lord Leo was struck by some… beam that came from A Lord Casander’s sword. All that leaves is A Lord Casander versus Lupus and Hina. One more, just one more.

Lupus still doubts their survival. Hina’s Festal has ran out mending that latest gash across Lupus’s chest. A Lord Casander is breathing a bit heavily, some of his armor is missing, but there aren’t any real blows against his actual body.

How can a human be  **this**  strong?!

He moves in for another strike and Lupus is forced to dodge… her one-handed shield has been ripped through, which equals a deep cut on the back of her right hand. Her double-arm shield has almost been sliced in half, which equals two long cuts on both of her arms. Even her maw hasn’t been spared as it is missing several of its teeth, so now she’s missing a number of fingernails on her left hand. So much pain, so much blood loss…

It’s more of a miracle she’s still alive.

“It’s time to…” A Lord Casander raises his sword to...

“Foxfire: Empower.”

“Foxfire… Empower!” Two sets of voices call out, the first more serious, the other playful. “My turn, my turn!” A Nine-tails slams into A Lord Casander… only for some of her tails to catch on a nearby tree. “Whew, close… Heeey, Lu-pu!”

…

Silky?

“Selkie,  **focus** !” Which means the other is Ka-da. However, unlike the last time she’s seen him in his Nine-tails form, this time his claws are burning a bright blue, his eyes glowing the same… as is Silky’s. Trails of that blue light follow their claws and bites.

“Nine-tails, out here?” Is all A Lord Casander could do as the two continued to pounce at such a speed to deny any normal reasoning. Tree trunks became their footholds, tails redirected their charges, and scratches slowly chipped away at A Lord Casander’s armor. He simply couldn’t hit either of the two blurs. That blue light starts to increase as the attacks continue, and it took until now to notice what it actually was… fire. Blue fire. A Lord Casander starts to let out deeper breathes as the heat slowly increases.

Slash, bite, burn. The two never seem to let him have even a single moment to rest. And maybe the two would have worn him out…

Had A Lord Casander not struck Ka-da mid-leap. The result was a Nine-tails slamming into several trees hard enough to bounce off of the first two and splinter the third, and it was then that Lupus noticed just how beaten down Ka-da is. His Foxfire orbs are all but completely dim, his breathing is incredibly ragged and there’s so much blood soaked across his fur. Lupus can faintly pick up other scents on him, like… Red?

So, Ka-da just sprinted from the end of one battle to another one? “Get him… please…” Lupus drops to sheer exhaustion, much to Hina’s concern. Too tired, too much blood loss, so… weak.

* * *

Kagero wearily stands aside Saizo and Lord Ryoma as they look over the newest set of patients in critical care. Lady Sakura, but thankfully she doesn’t require actual healing, just proper food. Subaki, who managed to suffer worse while in the ‘care’ of the Nohrians. Kagero might have been in the set of cots with them, but out of the four injured here, she’s the healthiest. So… who’s the fourth one?

Under the supervision of Lord Ryoma and Saizo, none other than Princess Elise of Nohr is doing everything within her healing power to keep Hana from tipping over. Lady Elise was the one to let out a deafening ‘No!’ during the battle. Apparently she rode in mere seconds after Hana had already gutted herself.

Iago was nowhere to be seen.

Hana stirs, tired and weak. “Wh…” She coughs up blood… something she already has so little of now.

“Mister High Prince Ryoma sir?” Lady Elise asks, “I… can’t do anything else right now.” She holds up her healing staff, “While I was able to close off all wounds… Staves can’t restore blood loss. It’s all rest from here. Rest, maybe start off with the softer foods, and plenty of water.”

“Thank you, Lady Elise.” Lord Ryoma nods. “And of my little sister?”

“She’s going to need personalized meals for at least a week. I’d keep her from any physical training for at least a month. And…” She pauses, “Until that last dose of Magebane toxin leaves her system, absolutely  **no**  magic.” See, one of the things that Kagero failed to notice was that before Hana was actually taken by Iago, the vile Tactician gave Lady Sakura another large dose of that terrible Magebane toxin… it was only due to her already unconscious state and the near lack of mana that she didn’t scream. “And no… Staves can’t heal ‘natural’ ailments. Like… if you got cut by a poisonous thorn, I can heal the wound just fine, but I can’t do anything about the poison that comes with it.” Her eyes go downcast. “I’m sorry, I wish I could do more…”

“Then I suggest you take your own advice and rest. Or, if you are so restless, then feel free to heal any others who require it.” Lord Ryoma gives her a bow, “You are within Hoshido’s good graces… may it stay that way.”

“You know it!” A smile, though it seems lacking. That is, until she starts  **hopping**  out of the tent.

“I’m following her…” Saizo remarks, as wary as ever.

“I’ll return to my duties… Kagero. You should get some rest, too.” Lord Ryoma nods, more to himself, and takes his leave.

Which leaves Kagero with one more thing. She moves over to Hana’s cot and gently grabs her hand. “Hana?”

“Hm?” Conscious, maybe a little incoherent, but most importantly… alive. “Ka…?”

“Kagero, yes.” She cuts the other off. “I’ll do what I can to save your energy so…” She clears her throat, “You didn’t follow through with Seppuku.” Hana slowly shakes her head, “The cut was too shallow and you missed every major organ…”

“Would’ve… hurt… liege.” Hana coughs out. “Duty… over… honor.”

Despite it all, Kagero has a small smile. “Lady Sakura will be eternally grateful for this.” Hana’s breathing as already settled… so tired. Well, there’s that… Kagero and Subaki managed to get through to Hana at the last minute, because…

Even if Elise was there that very same second, if Hana performed Seppuku correctly, it wouldn’t have mattered. Kagero nods to herself, before heading outside. Oh, if only Kaden was here… a nice fluffy Nine-tails would be perfect right now and…

She halts. The base camp’s gates open and a number of people are carried in.

Kaden is one of them. There is also Silky, Lady Hinoka, Lord Leo, Keaty, Vella… another Wolfskin that she vaguely remembers… Dadaan? Then… that means Crown Prince Xander’s assault ultimately failed… wait. Wait.

Kaden, Silky, Lady Hinoka, Lord Leo, Keaty, Vella, Dadaan… adrenaline kicks in and she runs towards the line of unconscious bodies. Lord Ryoma has already arrive… Lady Elise is already pushing herself for more healing. “Where is she?” Is the first thing that comes out of Lord Ryoma’s mouth.

“These were all the Hoshidan bodies that still had life, milord!” A standard soldier trembles at the Swordmaster’s sudden rage.

“My sister! She’s… dead? You should have still…”

“She wasn’t there, milord!” Another soldier cowering… not that Kagero can blame them.

“Aye, the rest were Nohrian corpses, Wolfskin corpses, and two wyvern corpses!” A third soldier. “But…”

“But  **what** ?!”

“There were also three indents on the ground, milord!” Three? “Maybe Lady Corrin was one of them?”

“Maybe?  **Maybe** ?! Had you no mind to check?” Lord Ryoma roars.

“My liege, please!” Kagero intercepts him, lest he slams the man into the ground. “Breathe. Now is not the time to act irrationally!”

“We should wait until they wake up, Red~.” It’s Setsuna. “They are our only witnesses… even if they didn’t actually see it happen.” She lazily looks over to the latest set of critically injured. “Oh, Lupus… where are you~?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Ahem* Well then… let’s take it from the top? Looks like Princess Elise isn’t going to stay still, is she? Once more, the ball of sunshine is going against what she’s supposed to do and now, well this is skipping a chunk of the chapter, she’s with the Hoshidans. Hrm… Prince Leo is part of the pack, Princess Elise chooses to heal the Hoshidans, and Princess Camilla remains captured. Crown Prince Xander must be having a breakdown by now.
> 
> Lupus, you are becoming quite the teaser, aren’t you? A short reprieve before the first big fight. A little bit of tactics on the Wolfskin side and… they are still… slaughtered? An entire pack brought down to Dadaan, Keaty, and Vella… for Wolfskin anyway.
> 
> Oh, and I suppose Benny, Charlotte, and Hans made a… oh wait, Hans is dead.
> 
> Regardless, Xander almost wiped them all out in one go. So… I’ll let you all decide if this show of power means he’s already visited the Rainbow Sage or not.
> 
> Lastly for that fight, welp, there’s the thing I was mentioning with Prince Leo. His Brynhildr no longer sees him worthy, since he took up his tome against Nohr. Now! Why did the Brynhildr stop, but Siegfried kept going? Both were drawing Nohrian blood, right? Well, I thought that since Xander is fighting for Nohr as a whole, but Leo was fighting against Nohr as a whole, that Leo’s weapon would be the one to stop working.
> 
> Next up is… the first round of Kagero. Again, kinda jumping the gun, but… hey! At least she and Subaki managed to convince Hana to not completely gut herself, so now she’s alive… yaaay!
> 
> And for the last bit. Oh… oh dear. So, Benny and Charlotte were most certainly not dead and… did they take Lupus with them? She is, at the end of the day, still a Princess, so… hopefully she won’t be executed.


	49. The Girl With the Golden Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well then, I had not planned (Oh look, another dollar for saying that) on this fic getting deep lore, but… here we go. I will be expanding on Dragon stuff again, but instead of what Corrin can do, it’s about Dragons themselves.
> 
> On that, the final PoV might get a bit confusing, as it focuses on a new PoV, a female… who is thinking heavily on the woman next to her. The reason it'll probably get confusing is that I refrained from using either name until the last two paragraphs.
> 
> I was going to put this at the end, but then I typed a wall of text… whoops. If anyone was eager to see Hana rip a hole into herself, I’m working on an AU version of the previous chapter, a ‘game over’ one.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Xander = Casander. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

****Seven… seven bodies were all that remained from Crown Prince Xander’s assault. Ryoma looked over them with a tired, and frankly impatient, eye. He dares not say what hit him harder, seeing Sakura in a vegetative state or finding out that Lupus wasn’t with the others after the battle. He sighs, pinches the bridge of his nose, and tries to relax.

So, it was all he could do from pouncing when the first body began moving around… Vella. He internally griped, according to Hinoka from her one her previous conversations, Vella is… obsessed with Lupus. He only hopes she won’t dash off and try to rescue her. However, then it seems like his internal pleas were somewhat covered as she simply fell back asleep.

And instead it was Keaty who got up, must be the Wolfskin resilience.

Didn’t change the fact that all three of those Wolfskin almost died from blood loss alone. Not to mention whatever part inside of them was cleaved open. “Keaty, erm… alpha?” Ryoma gently calls him out.

Keaty takes a moment to look around, then beside him, then to Ryoma, before sniffing the air. “Xander…” He ends up growling. “We’re safe, is he…?”

“I was going to ask you that.” Ryoma shakes his head. “According to the soldiers that returned with you all, the…”

The third Wolfskin, ‘Dadaan’, stirs and he rises up. “Alive…” He mutters.

“Alright. We don’t know what happened at the end. What were the last things you remember?” Ryoma cuts to the point.

“Axe wielders…” Keaty starts. “Four were left, two holding huge axes, one giant man who would. Just. Not.  **Die**!” Keaty coughs, “And Xander…”

“Hina, Lupus, A Lord Leo, Keaty were all awake and fighting before I fell.” Dadaan informs him.

“Same.” Keaty nods. “The… female axe person and the giant…”

Prince Leo groans, but it’s Silky who actually gets up next. “Owie… that wasn’t fun…” She huffs, blowing some of her fur around. “He played too rough, didn’t like him, no. I…”

“Silky.” Ryoma stops her ranting, “What do you remember?”

“Huh? Oh… well, I like birdies and peaches and playtime and…” Wrong topic.

“About the battle, Silky.”

“Oh, oh! Um… Ka-da and I sprinted over after fighting the battle with you guys and we got there and we pounced on Casander while being all like ‘rawr’ and ‘grr’ and using our awesome Foxfire and we were slashing and biting with little trails of pretty blue fire following us and Casander landed a hit on Ka-da as he pounced and he hit two trees and broke a third and he got me soon after… some of my tails got caught.” She bites her lip. “I wasn’t ready for Nine-tails, but Ka-da insisted, so he gave me his Beastrune for my Beaststone so I could do the Nine-tails form.”

“It’s… Kaden.” Said Kitsune groans. “I’m awake…” Gods, he looks even more ragged than before he left. Despite not knowing Kaden for a long time, Ryoma knows he wouldn’t let his fur get that unkempt. “What happened?”

“I just finished telling them about how Casander plays too roughly and we didn’t get him down.”

“Gods, did any of you see the end?!”

“I was the last one to fall, Red.” Silky shakes her head.

“So, Xander, that ‘giant of a man’, and the ‘woman axe wielder’ all survived and there’s…”

“Huh?” Silky and Kaden ask, though it’s Kaden who continues, “No. When Silky and I arrived, the only ones awake were Xander, Hina, and Lupus… though Lupus fell unconscious shortly after. Everyone else was either dead or passed out.”

Which Keaty glares to, “No way. Those two humans were still capable of fighting!”

“Yeah, unless… Hina brought them down?” Dadaan asks.

Hinoka finally stirs, “...damn.” Is the first word to come out of her mouth. “Xander ain’t a joke.”

“Sister, was that ‘giant of a man’ and ‘woman axe wielder’ conscious?”

She takes a moment, “No, they passed out after Keaty and Dadaan did.”

Things aren’t adding up. “Could they have faked it?” Ryoma ends up asking.

“Maybe?” Kaden, “We didn’t have time to check.”

“But, Lupus was still there, correct?”

“Yup!” Silky nods. “Everyone was still there before I ran out of energy.”

Somehow, ‘Silky’ and ‘ran out of energy’ doesn’t sound like they belong in the same sentence. She  **just**  woke up from being nearly killed, and one of the first things she does is spew out a small essay’s worth of words. “Lupus…” And now Vella’s up. “Where’s sister?” She’s even disregarding her own wounds. “Where’s  **Lupus**?!”

“Velouria, stop.” Keaty growls.

“I need to know, where is she?”

“You need to rest, Vella.” Ryoma calmly supplies.

“You don’t know, do you?” She growls, then moves to get up…

Had Ryoma not pushed her back down. “We need some narcotics for sleeping,  **now**!” He shouts as Vella struggles. Probably the only time a human can outdo a Wolfskin.

“I need to know! Let. Me…” She yelps as Saizo roughly shoves a needle into her side. “...go.” And now she’s out again.

“Keep an eye on her. She’s to remain sedated.” Ryoma concludes. “Saizo, I also want you to gather a small group and make a  **decent**  effort on tracking Lupus down.”

“Yes, milord.” He vanishes and Ryoma simply sighs.

“Gods… what happened to you?”

* * *

Cold, still so cold. Did they win? Is… “Ngh.” Lupus groans as she grips her head, or she would have, if she wasn’t chained to something. She opens her eyes to stone walls and some metal bars. “Where?” Her voice echoes, then looks herself over. Healed, mostly. She flexes her hand that shifted into a mace… those two fingers are still gone. There’s no way she can reasonably use her mace without it. She tugs against the chains, then harder and harder, trying to get a hold of that roaring until…

“I’d advise you stop, Princess Corrin.” A Lord Casander walks up. “Isn’t it dangerous to shapeshift without… this?” He pulls out a pendant, gold… a stone rests in its clasp.

“That’s  **mine**!” She snarls, lunges forward… and cracks the wall behind her. Oh, and now he’s underestimating her, she doesn’t need her Dragonstone to, quite literally, break these chains.

“Hm…” He raises an eyebrow. “And what if I were to discard this?”

A pause, “Dis...card?”

“Yes, discard.”

“I don’t know that word, human.” She growls again.

He sighs, “To throw away.”

She struggles against the chains again… crack, “I’ll shred you apart.”

He lowers a hand to the hilt of that ‘Divine Weapon’, “It seems you need a stronger leash…” Her eyes snap to Segfried, then almost lets out a whimper when she remembered what exactly that  **sword**  did to her.

And it isn’t even a Wyrmslayer.

A Lord Casander smirked as fear dances across Lupus’s eyes. How couldn’t she? This man alone stood against her, Hina… and Ka-da and Silky. He brought in twenty soldiers and  **killed**  the pack. “K-Keaty… Vella…” And now she does whimper. “Dadaan, Hina, Silky, Ka-da…” She grits her teeth and clenches her hands.

“Hmph.” A Lord Casander huffs, “Perhaps you should have simply yielded, Princess, then  **maybe**  they would have lived.” A pause, “I’m getting you some stronger restraints, and… just so you know… guards?” From the sides of her cell, one human from each side steps just right into her line of sight and… two Wyrmslayers. “If you wish to ever potentially make it back to Hoshido alive, you’ll play your part… don’t attempt to escape, don’t fight back. Though, I personally have no problem sending you, and only you back in pieces.” He finally walks away, “Have that… Maid look her over and, by the gods, give that damn beast a  **bath**! I won’t risk having anyone catching some disease from that draconic mutt!”

Several minutes later, and several sets of footsteps echoed throughout the dungeon. A woman, flanked by several guards comes into Lupus’s sight… and those guards have Wyrmslayers, because of course they do. “Please, don’t make this tougher than it has to be.” She gently says as the gate opens and she, rather boldly steps inside. “I’ve no intention of seeing you harmed, but if you resist, then I’ll…” She pauses as she gently touches Lupus’s face.

The first thing that grabs her attention are her golden yellow eyes, the second thing is her watery-blue hair, and the third is her scent. It is a completely new scent obviously, as Lupus has never seen this person before in her life, yet at the same time, for whatever reason…

She associates the scent as ‘familiar, trust’.

And maybe she would have replied with a matching friendly tone, had Lupus not almost been killed and her family seriously injured or outright killed. “Leave me be, human.” She growls as she tugs on her chains.

The Wyrmslayer-wielding guards quickly ready their weapons in case Lupus manages to… the ‘Maid’ raises her hand and shakes her head. “I can handle this.” She regards them, then she lowers that hand and raises the hand on Lupus’s face to… cradle her cheek? “Peace. I mean no harm.” A pause and Lupus sees her already golden eyes flash with a gentle light, her hand pulses a similar color and… “Qiedi, gsoipf.” The two ‘words’ roll right off of her tongue, yet it isn’t some random set of letters, Lupus somehow knows those are actual words, a language she  **should**  know, but doesn’t. Though, after the added light in both her eyes and her hand faded, Lupus felt something come over her whole body in a second’s time.

Peace.

The woman smiles, “Would you care to take a bath?” Unlike the guards, this woman remains undeterred by Lupus’s odor.

“Uh, sure… yeah.” Lupus relaxes.

“Good, I’m glad. Sirs? Free her and I’ll escort her to the bathroom.” Her request is met with hesitation.

“This ‘Princess’ murdered dozens of…”

“I  **will**  escort her to the bathroom.” Magic, a pulse, but… it’s different than literally everyone else’s. It isn’t ‘calm’ like how Saku’s healing magic is. It doesn’t feel ‘natural’ like A Lord Leo’s Brynhilda. Nor is it ‘angry’ like those fire spells.

No, wait… unlike this woman’s scent, Lupus  **does**  recognize the magic. It’s like… that feeling when she shot out that water stream-thing or when she shapeshifts into a dragon. The magic she just pulsed out felt ‘wild’.

Regardless, for a simple ‘Maid’, the guard ends up listening, “As you will…” He approaches Lupus with a set of keys. “But don’t expect any compensation if she tries to snap off your head.”

Yet, the woman calmly smiles at that, “She wouldn’t.”

“Sir? This is the woman who calmed an entire stable’s worth of horses without issue. And since Lady Corrin is basically akin to a beast…” Another guard comments as the shackles are unlocked.

“Please, refrain from referring to her as such.” The woman states as Lupus is freed. “If you don’t mind, please… follow me.” She walks out of the cell, no ‘leash’, no chains, no force.

The ‘shing’ of metal, or rather of Wyrmslayers soon follow, but Lupus is focused on this strange woman. Her curiosity has been more than caught. “...Okay.” Lupus follows the woman’s steps without complaint.

* * *

Queen Mikoto is lying on her bed, currently recovering from all the magical stress placed onto her by the barrier… which has finally been dropped, which means war has been declared. She hates it, she hates the idea of resorting to it, but King Garon has forced her hand. As she promised her son, Takumi, she is resting. Yukimaru is to handle matters as she regains her stamina.

Even with the conduits, Mikoto has frankly forgotten the magical toll coming from the barrier. She does feel… ‘lighter’ than ever before, for years. Years, years… She rolls to her side and looks at her dresser,  _“What’s that?”_  She recalls her long-lost daughter, Corrin, asking as she pointed towards it.

As stressful as it was to explain every little thing that mostly everyone uses on a daily basis, she was nonetheless infinitely grateful to have her back.

And now she’s gone again, but… at least it was by her own choice…

It doesn’t make it any less painful. She’s held Corrin for only a few years before losing her, and she only gotten to bond with her for a few  **weeks**  before she decided to return to the pack. Surely any mother could empathize with her… only knowing one of your own children for a few years, and that child has already reached adulthood.

“My liege?” One of her retainers knocks on her bedroom door… Reina, probably, there’s a certain formality that she holds… unlike Orochi.

“I’m awake… feel free to come in.” She replies.

Sure enough, Reina walks in. “How are you feeling, my liege? Do you need anything?” Serious as always, Reina makes a good grounding force for Mikoto… while Orochi provides a certain measure of relief with her mischievousness.

“I’m simply recovering, all I really ‘need’ is rest. Thank you for your concern, though.”

A pause, and the Kinshi Knight takes a very audible breath, “Perhaps something to calm your nerves?”

Wait, what? “I’m… sorry?” Mikoto sits up, noting the almost sheer distress on Reina’s face. “Reina, what’s wrong?”

“I’ve brought it, Reina…” Orochi walks in, an uncharacteristic serious air about her. The Diviner holds a bowl with a viscous liquid… one Mikoto recognizes as a relaxing agent. Being a Queen or King can be very trying at times, and there’s rarely ever a time when a ruler can do something as simple as take a vacation.

“Reina, Orochi… what’s going on?” The door closes as her retainers each take a side on her bed.

“There has been a report that has been delivered at triple time from the border. A mere several hours.” Already a bead of sweat comes from Mikoto’s forehead.

“Hours?” She echoes. “Did something happen?” Well, obviously.

Reina bites her lip and takes a deep breath, “Lady Sakura has been successfully saved, she is no longer in Nohrian captivity.”

“Gods, my daughter…” She smiles. Safe, Her youngest is safe, “But, that doesn’t justify the… negativity I can almost taste in the air.”

“Lady Sakura has been tortured while she was imprisoned.” Orochi starts, idly swirling the liquid around, “According to the report, she was…  **is**  in a vegetative state. She’s been malnourished for days and outright starving. The Nohrians also used some type of venom they recently made, it’s designed to literally burn the mana out of someone and make it to where that same burn returns whenever they cast a spell. Lady Sakura returned literally both physically and magically drained.”

Mikoto admittedly spaced out for a moment, trying to truly grasp what she’s been told. “S-Sakura…? Starved? Th-they would do that to my sweet, young, and loving child? O-Orochi?”

The Diviner was already in the process of pouring a serving of the relaxing concoction for her, and she swiftly hands a smaller bowl, to which she gently pours into her waiting mouth. “My liege?” Orochi asks once that small serving has been downed… and she hands her a glass of water.

Medicine is still medicine, and rarely does it either taste or go down good. Mikoto drinks some of the water to rid the aftertaste and to make sure it doesn’t end up sticking on the inside. “Okay… I’m better. Thank you for informing me, as difficult as that was…”

“I’m afraid I made this large batch for a reason, my liege.” Orochi solemnly informs her.

A pause, “Th-there’s more?” In a grim way, this assures Mikoto that she made the right call to declare war.

Reina nods, “As you know, Princess Corrin has chosen to return to the Wolfskin pack that raised her.” Reina takes another breath, “Princess Hinoka has also ended up taking residence with them.”

“I understand. But then, what’s the…?” She trails off.

“Crown Prince Xander has assaulted the pack with, at least in the report, twenty soldiers.”

“My daughters, are they… Reina, please tell me they’re okay!” Tears threaten to overcome her.

“The alpha of that pack and two other Wolfskin are all that remains of the roughly half-dozen that it once held, all three are in critical care. Kaden and Selkie also partook in the fight, both as Nine-tails, and they are both critically injured.” Mikoto’s heart slowly starts to become unreasonably heavy, but she lets Reina continue. “Princess Hinoka is also in critical care… Prince Leo of Nohr has also apparently sided with Hoshido and the pack… he is recovering with the others.”

“...” Mikoto looks away for a moment as tears trail down, “Reina? And what of my Corrin?”

Another serving has been poured, “Her body wasn’t found. Two Nohrians that were thought to be dead were also missing. We assume she’s been taken.” Orochi again.

...again. “My daughter has been stolen by Nohr…  **again**?!” For the first time in years, Mikoto raises her voice. Her body trembles as Orochi offers the liquid once more. This time, Mikoto almost greedily gulps it down. “Please tell me that’s the last of this… trauma? I… I don’t think I can take much more of this.”

“Princess Elise of Nohr also sides with Hoshido. She is an extremely talented healer who has made sure everyone makes a full recovery.”

So, two of Nohr’s own royalty has turned their backs on Nohr? Fitting enough. “Is that all?”

“Princess Camilla of Nohr remains captured.”

Mikoto  **wanted**  to wish spite upon her, the distinct burn for revenge cries out, but… “I’m not Garon.” She voices out-loud. “Make sure she’s still properly taken care of. I want her moved into Shirasagi. Sedate Princess Camilla and put her into the deepest reaches of the dungeons. Only when she is properly contained is when she is kept in a relatively healthy state. We aren’t cruel, I refuse to resort to torture and foul play.”

“...I’ll send word personally, if you don’t mind?” Reina offers. “I’d like to lead the Sky Knights myself against Nohr.”

“And you shall. Lead them as you see fit, we  **will**  win this war.” Mikoto nods.

“And what have you of me, my liege?” Orochi.

“For now, I’d prefer you remain here. Until I make my own full recovery, I’m going to need your assistance.”

“Understood.”

“And please, act as you normally would, it honestly bothers me, seeing you so serious.” Mikoto offers a somewhat empty smile.

“Oh, I had every intention of acting how I normally do, but I figured that this situation would require a more serious approach.” She gives Mikoto that mischievous smile, the ones she’s acquainted with Orochi.

“Very well then… I will take my leave soon.” Reina rises. “For the glory of Hoshido.” She bows.

Feeling the effects of the medicine starting to kick in more, the Queen yawns. “I shall rest the remainder of this medication, then I will personally attend some meetings with my tactician.” She nods.

Oh, how she wishes her husband were still here. Ruling alone is never easy…

* * *

She isn’t sure of what all happened over the centuries, nor does she know where exactly the rest of them are. Being raised alone as she was… thankfully she and her siblings are highly independent due to their heritage. She vaguely remembers her mother, only blurry images and faint scents remain. She has absolutely no memory of her father, ‘scaled by humans’ is what her mother told her.

Still, it surprises her that these memories are coming back in full force. And it’s all thanks to the woman behind her. That woman wasn’t raised with her, but she has this distinct feeling that she is one of them… a dragon… or at least part dragon, the scent is there, some of her physical characteristics line up with a dragon taking human form.

One thing is for certain is that that woman isn’t fully human, either. Even if she doesn’t know it, her magic has worked perfectly with her. A spell that brings calm to her own kind, something made by her own kind and the only human family bloodline that remains peaceful to her and hers. No, that other woman has to know, she does have one of  **those**  gems, after all, and that gem is attuned to her.

She only wishes that she could ask, but no… not here. Not with so many humans around them. Sometimes she regrets choosing to work here, other times she’s grateful. As of right now, she absolutely despises it. There’s no way to do what she wants to do with humans around. She and that woman would probably end up being killed on sight. She’s lived for centuries and not once has she seen a human regard any other species with kindness, it’s always hostility. However, unlike the Wolfskin and Kitsune, Dragons hold enough innate magic to completely change their appearance.

To look human.

It’s a necessity, Dragons are feared, this is an adaptation her kind had to make. So, she’s amazed this woman has lived this long whilst showing her draconic heritage. She then looks behind her at that other woman…

Dirt stained, bloodied, greasy long, white hair that runs to her waist, vivid red eyes, sharpened teeth... she probably has pointed ears underneath the fountain of hair. Crown Prince Xander called her ‘Princess Corrin’, but… that’s a human name. She has to be half-dragon, so if she has a human name then… she wasn’t raised by her draconic parent. So, this woman takes a breath once they enter the bathroom and asks, “I’m sorry if I didn’t catch it earlier, but… what is your name?”

“Princess Corrin… but I’d rather be called Lupus.” No… a dragon wouldn’t name her offspring that, either. “And, uh… what’s yours?”

She wants to use her real name, but… not here. If she were to reveal what she really is, then she’d be attacked on sight. Humans have proven time and time again to have terrible relations with the ‘different’ ones. Wolfskin, Kitsune… and Dragon. And that’s what she is... a dragon. So, as much as she wants to use her real, birth name… she bites back her draconic pride and gives Lupus her ‘human name’, the persona she dons whenever she’s around humans. “I’m glad to have the chance of meeting you, Lupus… my name is Lilith.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, now that’s a bombshell that was dropped, but… I always start from the top, so…
> 
> Now we know what mostly happened in the battle against Xander. And you could probably reliably assume what happened after Selkie fell. And it seems like… Benny and Charlotte… played possum? But, if they kept fighting, then maybe the rest would have actually been killed, or maybe… it was part of the plan? Though, if it was, then why leave Hinoka behind? Surely there was enough strength between those three to carry two people?
> 
> Mikoto, breathe! Deep breaths, woman! Oh, I can only imagine how much pain she’s in right now… getting that kind of emotionally intense news while still magically recovering. Though, we also got to see the more gentle side of Reina and Orochi, proving that they are truly fit to be her retainers. It’s not just the stuff on the battlefield you need to take care of, folks… you never know when they might need a shoulder to lean on, or a sedative-type medication.
> 
> Lupus… now it seems she’s in Sakura’s position, but those iron bars can’t hold her back! Even without her Dragonstone, she’s able to rip her shackles out of brick walls. That just goes to show how strong she really is… and that’s before adding in her draconic strength. But… what is this?
> 
> “Hadronix, I thought you removed ‘Valla’ and ‘Anankos’ and all of that stuff you hate so much about Revelations? And is that who I think it is?”
> 
> A-yup. See, here’s the thing. I came up with this idea, which I spoke to with a certain individual… with that person being a long-term reviewer on this fic. ;) So yes, Lilith has made her appearance and there’s a new chunk of lore to be added. Ah, and on the topic of Lilith… or more specifically what she ‘said’ to Corrin. It’s an extremely easy language to translate for us…
> 
> If you want to make a message in that language, then move each consonant forward one time and each vowel forward one time. If you want to translate that message into English, then move each consonant back once and each vowel back once. So, “Qiedi, gsoipf.” would equal to “Peace, friend.” Bam, an easy and new language.
> 
> Oy, and if revamping Valla-related stuff wasn’t a shocker enough, taking my dislike of it into consideration, then here’s another big one…
> 
> I’m actually gonna make Azura interesting! 


	50. Peacemakers and Peacebreakers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Behold! The 50th chapter!
> 
> I hope y’all have a translator on hand for the language I brought up last chapter, or else Lilith will sound like she’s talking gibberish. Er, it’s going to sound like gibberish regardless.
> 
> Remember, from English to… Draconic it’s: Move each consonant forward once and each vowel up once. So, ‘Draconic’ would be ‘Fsedupod’.
> 
> And obviously it’s the opposite for Draconic to English: Move each consonant backwards once and each vowel back once. So, ‘Iphmotj’ would be ‘English’.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Xander = Casander. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

****“Please, enter the bathtub, Lupus.” Lilith gently guides her towards the mentioned object.

Lupus, in turn, gives Lilith a wary look. She’s never used one of these, and there are so many more things in here she has no clue about, so the first way she reacts is the same way any of the pack would when faced with a new object that doesn’t immediately attack.

She treats it as if it were dangerous, maybe it’s highly toxic, or maybe it burns, she doesn’t know. So, she does the second thing she would do if there’s someone who does know what it is… “What’s that?” She points at the little handle-things in the bathtub.

“You… don’t know?” Is what Lilith asks.

“And that?” A bottle of sorts that contains a thick liquid.

“Lupus… please, come here.” Letting out a huff for not having her questions answered, she turns towards Lilith and steps closer. “If you would, mirror my movements.” She reaches out with her right hand and places it on the upper section of her head, so Lupus does the… “With your left hand. ‘Mirror’ my movements, not ‘copy’ them.”

“What’s the difference?” Regardless, she uses her  **left**  hand and places it on the…

“Again, wrong side.” Lilith manages to not sound the slightest bit annoyed, almost as if she’s dealt with this many times. Lupus moves her hand over to the ‘other side’ of Lilith’s head. “Now, look straight at my eyes.”

“Okay…?” Wary, unsure.

“Tjesi, hogv xotfun.” A pause as her eyes flash with that light again, with her hand doing the same, except that… Lupus’s hand, the one that is touching Lilith’s head, starts glowing a light-blue and, “...depending on how much you  **don’t**  know, this might end up burning a lot.”

“Wait, wha…  **ah**!” Lupus couldn’t even form two words before a sudden burn spreads throughout her whole head, she grits her teeth and hisses…

And it’s gone.

“Better?” Lilith tilts her head as they both remove their own hands from each other’s head. “So tell me, Lupus… what  **is**  that?” She points at the bottle with the thick liquid…

“A bottle of shampoo, scented with berries…” Lupus pauses, “Huh!?” She slaps a hand over her mouth… did she really just say that? Lupus looks around the bathroom for something else she obviously doesn’t know, like say… “That is…” She points at some type of clothing that she  **obviously**  has never seen before in her life, so she obviously should  **not**  know what it is, right? “It’s a bathrobe. It’s more of a Nohrian thing, since Hoshidans prefer to dry themselves off with towels before wearing kimonos…” Lupus turns to Lilith, who has a cheesy grin on her face. “What did you do to me?”

And she lets out a short giggle, “Oh, it’s nothing really… I just directly shared some of my knowledge with you… specifically all things related to the bathroom.” A short pause, “Mostly, anyway… you’ll come to find that there are other useful terms with that transfer.” She snapped her fingers, causing a spark of magic to pop out, “It’s a rather easy spell, but the younger ones rarely use it on others since… well, they just don’t know as much. It’s better to let an adult, like me, use it.” She clears her throat, “Now, are you ready for your bath?”

* * *

Lupus closely followed Lilith as the two walked through the halls of… Krakenburg? Apparently Lupus has been hauled straight through Nohr and into their Castle… and if the walls of Shirasagi gave her discomfort, then these hallways are downright crushing. At least Shirasagi had open windows that let sunlight come through… the only lights here are fake ones, ‘magical’ ones.

Lupus places a hand on her chest, where her Dragonstone necklace  **should**  be. She… feels so vulnerable, no means to shift without losing herself. The only defense she has now is her body as it is, no scales, no lances, no shields, no mace. It makes her wish she actually took up those katana lessons now.

She then rubs a hand on her skin, slick, clean and uh… fruity? Lupus was expecting the ‘clean’ smell to be like whatever bad smell A Lord Leo had with his ‘clean spell’, but nope. She actually doesn’t mind this scent, it reminds her of the outside. Skin to hair, which is no longer greasy, yet it is now smooth and silky…

Silky. Did she live? She had to, she even managed her own Nine-tails form. Ka-da? Dadaan? Keaty? Hina?

…

Vella? Who was the first to fall from a massive gash on her chest. A Lord Casander… “Oof.” Lilith abruptly stops, but since Lupus was deep in her own thoughts, she ended up walking straight into the ‘Maid’. “What’s wrong?”

Lilith shakes her head, “It’s nothing, really.” Aaaand she’s walking again. “I’m simply thinking, as is you.”

“Oh, well… what are you thinking about?” For whatever reason, she is easy to talk to.

“The past.”

“And?”

“My heritage.” Oh, okay… so she’s going to avoid direct answers then?

“Well, I was thinking about my family.” Lupus instead says. “Do you think about your family?”

“I… moved out when I was very young. There isn’t much to think about for them.”

“I have three brothers and three sisters. I’m including the Wolfskin brother and sister I grew up with.” Sure, Lilith is easy to talk to, but she also doesn’t seem to make for good conversation.

She… actually reminds her of the Wolfskin, in that manner. “I vaguely remember my siblings, I have no memory of my father and I only saw my mother for a few years.”

Well then…

Not exactly the best youth either. “When did you move out?”

She hesitates, “I… can’t remember.” Lilith turns a corner and it’s back into the place where Lupus would rather not be… the dungeons. “I’m afraid I can’t spend anymore time with you today. No doubt…  **they**  will want things from you.” Lilith huffs.

The guards part way for the simple ‘Maid’, in fact… “You hold a lot of respect for being a Maid, Lilith.”

She briefly turns her way with a gentle smile. “When it comes to ‘us humans’, there are exceptions to almost every rule. I happen to fall under several of those exceptions… maybe we can talk about it next time?” She opens the gate as if it were a regular door. “Do have a good day, Lupus.”

Lupus frowns, but otherwise follows through without much complaint. “I’ll get to see you tomorrow, right?” Hope, a bit of desperation.

“Of course… you are under my care, after all.” A pause as she enters with her, “And I’m also afraid that I  **have**  to do this… please, raise your arms to the shackles, Lupus.” Hurt, sorrow… but Lupus follows through anyway. She likes Lilith. The Maid carefully grabs one of Lupus’s arms, so gently as if she’s afraid one tug will rip it right off, then guides it to the waiting shackle and closes it… then repeats for the other arm. Golden eyes meet a slightly dulled red. Lilith raises her hand to cup one of Lupus’s cheeks again. “O xomm tii zua eheop tuup, gimmux Fsehup.” She removes her hand, walks out and closes the gate. She offers one last quick bow and leaves the area, leaving Lupus alone in her cell… with two guards wielding Wyrmslayers.

Again, that language Lilith spoke… so familiar. “O casomm… tii… zua eheop tuup… gimmucas Fsehup?” Once more, Lupus’s inability to pronounce the letter ‘X’ shows. “Cs, cs, cas…” Lupus clears her throat, “Cs, cs, sc…  **ugh**!” ‘X’ is a stupid letter that shouldn’t exist!

…

A Lord Casander is a person that shouldn’t be allowed to live! She bets that without his special sword, he’d go down quickly.

“Part way.” Speak of the damn human… “Princess Corrin.” He looks her over, then nods.

“My name is Lupus, human.”

“A wild beast is what you are… still, at least you aren’t riddled with maggots right now.” He scoffs. “Angered? Perhaps you should give a tug on the chains?” Lupus turns and looks, she was so focused on Lilith that she didn’t notice that the wall behind has been completely reinforced with a steel wall. On top of that, the chains are made of a black metal. “Or are they too strong for you?”

“Tch…” Lupus pulls as she did last time… nothing. “And now what?”

He casually adjusts the collar on his shirt, “I’d be wasting my breath on trying to explain any plans to your primitive mind.”

Now, normally this would be the part where Lupus would echo the word she didn’t know ‘primitive’... except that, the meaning just… popped into her head.  _“You’ll come to find that there are other useful terms with that transfer.”_  Lupus huffs, “A ‘primitive’ mind that almost got your royal hindquarters handed to you. Did you mention that part in your report to your superiors? About how your troops were demolished by a ‘pack of inadequately trained beasts’?” She blinks her eyes… two more terms she normally wouldn’t know. ‘Demolished’ and ‘inadequately’.

What else did Lilith share with her?

“Oh, and which person did you strangle to learn those words? Because gods know a backwards woman like you can’t read.” A pause, before he pulls out  **her**  Dragonstone and lets it swing around, “Father wishes to get some… amusement out of you. You’re going to fight for your life in the arena, but of course… you’re already used to such rules, aren’t you?” He smiles, “Except, of course, you’ll have no access to this… you  **will**  be using a sword.”

“I don’t know how to…”

“Then I suggest you ‘adapt’ as quickly as you can.” He cuts her off, “You wish to live your life as an animal? You’ll be treated as such. The ones you’ll fight won’t hold back. You aren’t to receive any mercy, beast.” He sneers as he starts walking away, “Consider it your execution sentence, ‘Princess’ Corrin.”

* * *

Lilith quickly strides along the Krakenburg hallways towards the servant quarters. Yes, she may be off work for the day, but she is  **far**  from done. Lupus’s appearance has all but completely changed her routine. As long as she has a say in it, there will  **not**  be another draconic death, there are too few of them as is. She can only imagine what lengths Crown Prince Xander is taking to make sure Lupus flies under the radar of probably the only one who can keep her safe… politically speaking, that is.

Servant quarters, turn, door, step in, “Woah~!” And slam right into someone else. “Uh, sorry! Hold on, lemme…” Light-pink hair… that isn’t even put up in a proper ponytail, as Lilith can see several spots where strands are sticking out. She extends a hand…

And it’s only out of human courtesy that Lilith accepts it. “Thank you…”

“O-of course! I mean, I didn’t see you so it’s really my fault and…” A pause, “Are you new here?”

It takes everything within Lilith’s willpower to not sigh or mutter an insult towards humans. “I’ve been working here for several years now.”

“Oh, sorry! It’s… I’ve never seen you before. Oh, oh! My name’s Felicia, what’s yours?” She smiles.

Genuine kindness, well… that’s a rather rare trait for the common human. “Lilith.” She responds, “Are you to share a room with me?”

“...We are to share a room with you.” Another one walks in, almost identical to Felicia, bar her light-blue hair and that her ponytail is properly done… and her more rigid tone.

“She’s Flora, my twin sister! Flora, this is Lilith.” Felicia quickly introduces. “Oh, I’m glad you’re a woman, Lilith, I was worried we’d get stuck with a Butler…”

“You seem a bit young to be a Maid.” Flora bluntly states, “Did the Nohrians force you here?”

Lilith shamelessly glances down at the twin sister’s breasts, “Just because my breasts aren’t as pronounced as yours, doesn’t mean I’m younger than you.” There might have been a bit of venom laced with her words, it’s not her fault it’ll take her another thousand or so years before her human form’s breasts are ‘out there’.

Flora looks her over, probably unconvinced of her age, “You do have an air of… wisdom about you, Lilith.”

She smiles, “Thank you, Flora. And… no, I chose to work here.”

Flora glances at Felicia, “Sister, would you mind finish setting up our things?”

“Huh? Uh, sure. I promise I won’t break anything!” Oh, that’s not good reassurance.

“What do you need, Flora?” Lilith has already been through similar motions hundreds of times.

“I know we literally just met, but if you could… whenever you have the chance, could you tutor my sister in being a Maid?” Flora glances back, then sighs as it seems Felicia is doing just fine right now, “Gods, I love her, she’s my sister… but she is so terribly clumsy.”

“So… you want me to work on her balance?”

“She also has problems with mixing in too much cream and/or sugar into coffee, getting sugar and salt mixed up, overheating food, setting stoves on fire and…” Flora takes a breath, “You aren’t going to believe me on this, but Felicia can burn water.”

“With all due respect, how did she make it this far?” Lilith asks.

“Because we are forced here. Our home, the Ice Tribe, is on extremely rough terms with Nohr and the King decided to grip my father, the chieftain, by the throat and take away his twin daughters.”

“...Which is why you asked me if I was forced to work here?” Lilith states more than asks.

“That’s correct.” The coldness from her has left quite a bit.

“For what it’s worth, Flora, I understand the feeling of loneliness in a place where you don’t feel like you belong in. The anxiety of being around those you can’t fully trust. The fear of being assaulted for simply being who you are.”

She huffs, “I experience no such feelings.” Lies… pride.

“I’m not dense, Flora… but, if saying such things helps you sleep at night, very well. Just know that if you feel like you need to vent your emotions to someone, then come to me.” She looks past Flora, over to Felicia, “The same goes for your sister.”

Her confidence falters, but she manages to keep a stern face, “Well… thank you for the offer, Lilith. I’m glad to have been…”

“ **Woah**!” And the serious moment was ruined by the sound of glass crashing onto the carpet. “Oh… I was almost done, too…”

“Please, excuse me Lilith…” Flora steps back and goes over to her, apparently clumsy, sister. “It’s alright, you’ll learn in time.”

“B-but… sister… this is…”

“I know, I know.” Lilith tilts her head as Flora carefully gathers the glass and, “Tch.” Of course. If only Nohr actually kept supplies near the servants, rather than in the ‘important’ areas.

Now, normally Lilith would just glance and keep walking, but she has a distinctively good feeling about these two, so… “Here, let me help.” She walks over.

“No, please… there are too many…” Flora’s mouth almost comically gapes as Lilith starts grabbing shards without any issue… or punctured skin. “Um?”

“Well, you know what they say, ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’.” She smiles, and after all of the shards that can be reasonably picked up are put into a small bag, Lilith turns her attention to Flora’s cut. “Here…”

“I can just bandage this, so…” Flora trails off.

Lilith simply smiles as she gently grabs Flora’s hand, “This is going to sound weird, but trust me when I say it will help.” Lilith places a few fingers on the opposite side her the cut, “Nipf, jiem.” Her distinct magic flows through Flora and the cut is sealed. “Better?”

“Oh, wow! You must be really talented if you can heal without a Staff!” Felicia praises.

Flora narrows her eyes, “It is… thank you, Lilith.”

With the bagged glass in hand, Lilith rises, “Now, I’ll discard this for you two. Do have a good day, okay?” She walks away.

“See you later, Lilith!” Felicia exclaims as Flora remains silent.

…

And after the twin sisters fell asleep that night, they would wake up to find the intricately designed glass vase that Felicia broke to be as good as new, not a single shard out of place.

* * *

The Hoshidan Base camp is filled with a tenseness that is incredibly thick, but the thing is… most of the people didn’t feel it. No, this tenseness was mainly between a total of four. Two Wolfskin and two Kitsune. Both Kaden and Keaton could, thankfully, understand the need for neutrality right now, but that doesn’t mean either beast race has to like it. Selkie and Dadaan also wished to respect Lupus’s dream of peace.

Velouria would’ve been the hard one to keep still… but she can’t feel the tenseness, simply because she is kept in an unconscious state.

Regardless, each side watched the other with almost a never ending supply of suspicion. Due to their extensive history, each side was simply waiting for the other to make the first move, to see who would attack first.

Kaden was the one to make that move. See, he stumbled across something extremely precious while in that Nohrian outpost, a gift for the Wolfskin alpha. He has been working up the resolve and calmness to actually give it to him. He clears his throat, “Selkie.” Kaden announces with a high enough pitch to make sure that Keaton and Dadaan can hear him.

“Ooo, is it playtime again? It’s been a while since we’ve…” She pauses as he takes out his Beaststone… again, in clear view of the Wolfskin.

“Maybe afterwards… here.”

“Oh, I get it! You want the Beastrune back…” She pauses as he shakes his head.

“Just hold onto this for a bit, okay?” He tosses his Beaststone over to her. “I’ll be back in a bit.” Taking a breath to literally calm his beast side, Kaden walks over to Keaton, fully displaying his lack of weapons… at least, not without losing control. Keaton, perhaps recognizing the ‘truce’, hands his own Beaststone over to Dadaan, then meets Kaden halfway.

It doesn’t change the fact that Keaton could still probably snap Kaden in half.

“Kaden.”

“Keaton.” The two share their names.

“What?” And already Keaton is tense.

“How’s the recovery going?”

“I’m alive, aren’t I?” The two are practically having a staring contest with how still their bodies are.

“We’ll get her back, all of us.”

“And it’s only because of her that I haven’t shredded you apart. I can’t  **stand**  you being in the same place.”

“And you know as well as I do that I share the same feeling.” Breathe, breathe. “As you know, I was part of the battle in the Nohrian outpost.”

“Hmph. What of it?” At least Kaden caught his interest.

“There were a lot of humans, some high quality weapons, but I happened to find something that I think you’ll like.”

“...” Keaton’s ears perked and his tail starts wagging… perfect. “Yeah, sure. What would you know about my interests?”

“In light of wanting us to fight for a common goal… for the end result to be at peace, even if it takes dozens of generations. I, Kaden, alpha of a hamlet, wishes to gift you, Keaton, alpha of a pack, a peace offering.” He reaches into his pocket and slowly pulls out a gem. “Here.”

Keaton’s eyes glance from the gem, to Kaden, “You can’t be serious.”

“I am serious.”

“You’d… give me this?”

“That’s what I said I would do.”

“Even knowing you might never find another gem good enough?”

“For the effort of peace, yes.”

To the average person, they would wonder why such a big deal is being made about this particular gem. “You’re willing to put yourself at a severe disadvantage, because you want peace.”

There are few gems that either beast race can find that are considered strong enough… “Yes, I am. So, here. Take it.” He extends the offered gem.

And Keaton goes to grab it. “Very well, I accept. I assure you that, at least from  **my**  pack, that we won’t ever attack you or yours on sight.”

“And I offer the same.” Kaden takes a breath and steps back, “Good hunting, Keaton.”

“...Perhaps we could hunt together? I mean… to save Lupus.”

Kaden chuckles, “You know what… I think I’ll accept.” Kaden nods. “A Wolfsegger and a Nine-tails, heh…”

He walks back to Selkie, who is looking at him with total disbelief. “You gave him a Beastrune?”

“I did.” He extends his arm, “And I’d like my Beaststone back.”

“Well, it’s actually mine, but… okay.” She tosses it back.

“And I have every intention of returning that Beastrune when this war is over.” Kaden adds.

“...Do you think that alpha will even let you get close?”

Kaden shrugs, “Probably not, and I don’t he’ll give me my Beaststone back, but… I’ll just throw it his way.” He looks over to Keaton, who is probably having a similar conversation with Dadaan. “I’m going to do one more thing, and I’ll nap.” He looks right at Selkie. “If you’ve the urge to hunt birds, just make sure you’re within the scent range of this camp.”

“Mmm, birdies…” She licks her lips as her teeth show. “Alright, I’ll be back!”

Kaden smiles to himself as she dashes off. “Make sure you practice your Nine-tails form, too!” With that said, he resumes walking… he has a certain female Ninja to visit.

* * *

Orochi twirled her hair as she stood on the sidelines of the training grounds. She couldn't take her eyes off of her liege as she resumed her Priestess training. No, not with Festals… with her Yumi. Within Queen Mikoto’s hands rests a powerful Yumi, at first glance, it is almost identical to the Fujin Yumi, as the arrows form from thin air, but instead of originating from the bow itself, these arrows come from the wielder’s own mana.

A Spellbound Yumi.

And Mikoto has plenty of magic to spare.

Without the barrier taking a constant toll on her, Mikoto’s magical recovery has been quick. She was up and out of bed within merely a day. And with the atrocities of what King Garon has done, well…

Orochi can say that Mikoto needed a custom target built… no, not a dummy, but a wall that is enchanted for the sole purpose of stopping magic from piercing through. And thank the gods she had it made, because otherwise there would be dozens of new holes in the castle walls. Simply watching her reminds Orochi of just how skilled she is… she honestly is reminded of King Sumeragi and his skill with the katana. While High Prince Ryoma inherited that legacy, Takumi was the only one who received the Queen’s skill in the Yumi. Or at least, that is what everyone assumed for all of these years.

Because the day Princess Sakura took up the Yumi was the day that she seemed destined to become a Priestess as well. But, due to the Nohrians, Princess Sakura just may never get to that same level. It sickens her to know that the youngest Princess is in the state that she is in.

“I believe I am finished for now.” Mikoto comments as the last arrow she fired did, in fact, pierce the anti-magic wall. Well, at least Orochi can say she looks less stressed. “How did I fare? I feel as if I’m not striking as hard as I could…”

Really? “My liege, you broke a hole into a wall that was specifically made to resist the magical arrows that you are firing… if anything, I think you’re putting more force than you were before.”

“I suppose that’s true…” The Queen hums. “Fair enough, then. I’ll have this Yumi forged a bit stronger…” She looks at Orochi, “Or would it be a waste of resources?”

“My liege, one of the last things Hoshido has to worry about is a lack of resources. If you want a Spellbound Yumi that can cut through the highest of resistances… before accounting for your incredibly high potency in magic, then have it done.”

“Power…” Mikoto looks upon her Yumi. “I wonder how my love would react… seeing me train once more?” She has a wistful smile on her face, “Even during peacetime, he would train. He said he would protect Hoshido from the strongest of threats… that even if the Dusk Dragon himself descended on us, he would still lead the charge.”

“We’ll win this war, your Highness.”

She turns to her with a fierceness in her eyes… something Orochi recognizes in Princess Hinoka, “I know.” Those two words carried a danger that was only recently matched by ‘I’m declaring war’. “I still despise making that call, Orochi, don’t get me wrong. But… I realize that this is the only option left, at least… as long as Garon rules.”

“As long as Garon rules…” Orochi echoes.

Mikoto nods, “If Prince Leo’s and Princess Elise’s intentions are as pure as they intend, then… I will see to it that they live through this.” A pause and another nod, “Orochi, I want an order sent out to the Hoshidan base camp. Make sure that Prince Leo and Princess Elise are protected as if they are our own family… um, that is… if Prince Leo is within reach, that is. I understand that if he is currently in the pack, then…” She trails off, as if recalling something.

“My liege… the pack is only three Wolfskin, remember?”

She sighs, “I do believe I may have forgotten…” She rubs her forehead, “It seems as if I’m not quite ready to return to complete rule as of right now. I’ll need to delegate more tasks to both you and Yukimaru…”

Orochi nods, “My wisdom and cards are at your disposal.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah-ha, you got to see more of Lilith’s magic! So, a magical means of transferring thoughts and information, a means of healing without a staff, and… repairing glass? I wonder if there are drawbacks to her magic? Oh, there are some more of the Draconic language. So… what did Lilith say? At least Lupus and Lilith are on good terms. Oh, and on the topic of Lupus…
> 
> She’s essentially turning into a gladiator… with a weapon she has no experience in. Hopefully she can pull it off without losing control to her dragon.
> 
> Ooo, more scenes with Lilith. I like writing her, she’s going to end up being really interesting, what with the number of centuries she has to her. She’s essentially a Manakete, even if that term isn’t used in Fates. So, keeping in mind her appearance… you can start taking guesses on her age. Makes you wonder what she’s been doing all of the years. I can say that, while yes, dragons and humans are on unhealthy terms, Lilith is old enough to where she’s learned to mellow out with the hatred, so as such, she’s able to act friendly with other humans… but, there are still her moments. At least she’s willing to keep those thoughts to herself. Still, I wonder how well she’ll end up getting along with Felicia and Flora.
> 
> Oh, and I suppose Lilith is also showing off her toughened skin by picking up glass, so there’s that.
> 
> Next up is… probably the most unexpected of the bunch this chapter… a peace treaty between Keaton and Kaden. On top of that… Kaden giving Keaton a… gem that is capable of being a Beastrune? Let me again stress how rare these gems are for the beastfolk. It’s hard enough to find a gem like that, but as to add onto what Kaden said, in addition to the rarity of finding them, there’s a high chance that humans own those same gems. So, it’s a good thing that outpost had one. But, on top of all of that…
> 
> Y’all might just get a chance to see a scene in which Keaton and Kaden are fighting which each other… a Wolfsegger and Nine-tails. Maybe Kaden can borrow that Beastrune from Selkie so that both him and Keaton have one for that fight?
> 
> And lastly we have… a livid Mikoto. Oh dear. Hate to see how her arrows will screw up some Nohrian’s day. But on the plus side… Princess Elise and Prince Leo are getting the Hoshidan royal treatment in terms of protec… wait a minute. Where’s Arthur? Effie? Odin? Niles?


	51. She Who Sings the Draconic Songs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve got a reason why this chapter is relatively shorter than normal! It will become clear once you get to… Lilith’s part.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Xander = Casander. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Due to their relative health when compared to Lady Sakura and Hana, Subaki and Kagero has already made a decent recovery… the only real issue being that Subaki’s Pegasus was executed during his capture. Kagero, on the other hand, simply has to resume training to get where she was, but… she is also without a proper Ninja partner. Saizo has a small group to track down Lupus’s trail, while Kaze has yet to be sent out of Shirasagi. Which leads to Kagero training alone, and any good soldier knows that training alone is inefficient. There are mistakes that she’s probably making, but can’t notice due being unable to see how she’s actually performing.

Which is exactly why Kaden has stepped in for that role, despite his lack of knowledge on her fighting style, but… one thing he does know is that a Ninja seems to favor speed, and when it comes to speed… nothing is as fast as a Nine-tails. Even without being fully recovered, even with his Foxfire just starting to recover,  **even**  in his human form, Kaden is still able to outmaneuver Kagero’s shuriken strikes. Years of breeding the best males with females has refined the Kitsunes to an almost evolutionary peak. He is simply at a point where he can’t get any faster… not without further changes to his body.

“Ngh…” Kagero heaves a breath as she has yet to actually land a single hit on Kaden. “A moment…”

“You’re pushing yourself too hard.” Kaden frowns. “You need some decent food, Kagero. These… ‘rations’ aren’t giving you what you need.” The mere thought of those bland and mass-produced foods is enough to cause Kaden’s stomach to turn.

“I… appreciate your concern, Kaden…” She breathes, “But I’m aware of my own limits and…”

“Your limits before your confinement? Or your limits now? Kagero, you  **can’t**  do what you were doing before this.” Within a moment’s notice, Kaden snatched Kagero’s hand, ripped the shuriken from her grasp, twisted her body around, and pinned her on the ground. “Before your capture, you would have been able to react before I’d finish that.”

“Lord Ryoma needs…”

“And what do  **you**  need?” He cuts her off. “Kagero… do you know how I’d handle a Kitsune in my hamlet if they were in the same position as you?”

“You’d let them rest? Perform lighter training while...”

He sighs, “If you’re aware of the optimal solution, then why do you ignore it?”

“Because we’re at  **war**. The barrier has dropped, any day, any moment we could…” She pauses as his expression flickers and he lowers himself.

“Kagero. That’s the conditions in which Kitsune and Wolfskin live with every single day.  **We**  never had a barrier. We always have to be aware of poachers and their traps. We are even aware of the other nearby hamlets, so that boundaries aren’t crossed. We never had the luxury of constant rest.”

Her eyes narrow, “For someone who likes to nap…”

“I know that I should push myself to be the best I can be, but I also know that without breaks, I’d end up harming myself. If I see a chance to rest, I will.” His eyes bore into her, and her face… flushes? “You’re exhausted, Kagero. I can see the weariness behind your eyes.” One of his furred hands trace her arms, “I can feel tightened muscles,”

Kagero takes a breath, “K-Kaden?”

“I notice the time you twitch when certain movements are made.” Down to her side, “Despite your lack of physical injuries, I notice that you tend to lean away from this side, if slightly. Some of your body has sunken in a bit.” Down further, 

“U-um, Kaden…?”

“I can tell by the relative weakness of your legs that you were unable to move them… or at least, the movement was almost not there at all.” Back up to her upper body, “I can also…” He stops as he notices her discomfort, “Um, sorry… wait. What did I do? I’ll learn, and…”

“Those touches were just… a bit too intimate.” She admits with a shiver. “Er, close, that is.”

“Then how am I supposed to know when your muscles are tightened like that? My eyesight may be sharp, but I can’t see it all. Sometimes I have to feel to know what’s going on.” Genuinely confused, he lays his other hand onto her arm, “And it’s even tenser than it just was a moment ago… Kagero?” Concern lines his eyes.

Thump thump, thump thump, thump thump, Kaden can hear her heart practically hammering against her. “...Kaden.” She breathes, reddened face, shortened breath.

“It’s a human thing, isn’t it?” He frowns, “Sorry, I’m still…?” He was going to get up, if Kagero didn’t snatch his arm… not that she could force him back down, “Yes?”

She nods, “It is a ‘human thing’...” She bites her lip, “Would you be willing to learn?”

“Will learning it help you?”

Another nod, “It would really help me a lot.”

His smile finally returns, “Then count me in! So, what do I gotta do?”

She smiles in kind, “Come a bit closer…” Once again he is confused, but he follows her instruction regardless. “Okay now, um… close your eyes, okay?”

His fur bristles, but he manages to relax when he can pick out the kindness within her tone. “Alright?” He does so. “And n…”

Whatever he was going to ask for was cut off as Kagero claimed his lips. “...this is what’s next.” She gently whispers in between one kiss… and the next. Her hands travel his incredibly soft fur, though… he’s unsure why this contact is causing him to feel heated. She’s brushing his fur like any other time. “I know we haven’t known each other for long, but…” Both of their faces are mere inches from each other, “...I need to go, actually. Lord Ryoma might need me.” For whatever reason that Kaden can’t figure out, Kagero went from needy touches to a strange disconnect as she leaves.

Humans are weird…

* * *

Lilith gently clears her throat as she passes through yet another crowded hallway, “Do excuse me… pardon.” She calmly states as she tries to weave around all of these humans. Guards, servants, but probably the worst of the bunch, nobles. Guards are understandable enough in their more distant attitude, as their job won’t allow socializing with others. Servants have it the worst, often being the ones to whom the blame is directed towards. Nobles are the ones who laze around, demand everything, but rarely lifts a finger for themselves.

Then, why would Lilith become a Maid, knowing that?

Perhaps it has been her time going through over two-hundred different names and appearances, holding at least as many jobs, having a place to live in just about every major establishment, but… she finds a distinct pleasure in helping. Which adds to the strangeness when accounting for her pure-blooded draconic heritage.

Would it really be too much to ask for peace?

Well that, and Lupus’s freedom. Lilith refuses to let another dragon or half-dragon fall to humans… their kind is few enough as is.

However, with this life holding the name Lilith, and Lilith being a Maid, there isn’t really a thing she can do to help… she can’t, but there is someone who can, a family line, the only ones who are accepted by dragons all over.

She reaches this family’s entrance, who is guarded as sturdily as any other monarch. Their bloodline is far too important to trust a guard with even a mere flaw. The  **five**  guards that line this single door all stare at her. Lilith clears her throat, unbothered by the gazes. “Jimmu, O jewi duna vu tiil tjimvis op vji Nevsoesdj’t incsedi.”

“Peni?” Behold, one of the few humans who know… actually only part of the Draconic language. These guards are only taught enough to make sure that the only ones that can enter are ‘safe’.

“O en Zimipe.”

“Zimipe…” He echoes, before nodding. “Duni, ipvis Zimipe. Tji ximdunit zua.” He steps aside as the door opens. Lilith gives a short bow before entering… and the first thing that hits her senses is ‘home’. Despite seeming as any other room of some of the richest, there is an underlying theme that never fails to draw her in. It’s the tiniest of details, ones that can’t be seen or sniffed by humans. She wonders if Lupus’s senses are sharp enough to catch these details?

Tip, tap, a young wyvern approaches Lilith, before letting out a small screech. She smiles at… him. “Jimmu.” He tilts his head, flicks out his forked tongue, then lets out another small screech. Despite their much bulky bodies, wyverns are highly intelligent... and the fact that they don’t have the proper anatomy to speak, wyverns  **can**  understand Draconic. Lilith looks him over, his scales doesn’t seem to have fully developed yet, so… a few months old? Regardless, he is already proudly displaying his body. “Esi zua ievoph ximm?” A pause, then he opens his mouth. She laughs, “O fu puv jewi guuf up ni.” The wyvern lets out a disappointed screech…

“Ej, Zimipe… nepz ziest jewi qettif topdi zuas metv sidusfif wotov.” While the woman descending the stairs is someone Lilith has never met before, the similarities of her appearance and even her scent line up with her… mother? Grandmother? She must be the current head of the Draconic House. How long has it been since Lilith was last here? For a person to which time has almost no meaning, and to whom centuries to her are barely worth keeping tracking of, it’s easy to lose herself to the time that passes. She looks over Lilith's body, “Jux jewi zua geosif?” Light-blue hair which has a length that would put Lupus’s to shame, an elegant dress whose main body is in the design of an adult Wyvern’s black scales… while the arms are like an adult wyvern’s teeth, multiple points and seeming incredibly sharp.

And, while this is a coincidence as neither of these woman are even closely related, this woman has golden yellow eyes like Lilith.

“Nz cufz ot jiemvjz,” Lilith motions her head towards the young wyvern, “Jot ehi?”

The woman hums, which comes out melodious… something that soothes Lilith and the wyvern beside her. “O en… aptasi,” The Matriarch frowns, “Ji xet cusp xovj e… figidv.” Lilith nods, so… this young one will probably never get to actually fight. Wyverns battle fiercely, so even something as small as a malformed wing can prevent them from doing as they should. Lilith takes a second, closer look at him. “Ov ot ep opvispek ottai, Zimipe. E xielipif jiesv.” She places a hand over her heart, giving the wyvern a sorrowful look.

“Tu, zua vuul jon op?” Lilith returns her attention to the woman.

She nods, “Ji xomm puv iwis nevi… cav O sigati vu miv jon ci migv vu foi.” A seriousness mixes with her kindness.

Lilith forms a smile small, as caring as she ever is. If it weren’t for her selfless generosity, this young wyvern would’ve been abandoned. And while she can both understand and accept that such things are required, her being is also warmed that the ‘Friend of the Dragons’ would, honestly, waste resources to assure that this wyvern at least lives a good life.

Refocusing on why she came here, Lilith takes a breath and… “O jewi e siraitv, Nevsoesdj.”

The Dragon-favored woman now stands in front of Lilith, a curious look on her face, “Epf vjev ot?”

Still, even with her noble status, even with the respect her family holds, what Lilith is about to ask her will be difficult. Lilith has learned that, unlike Wolfskin, Kitsune, or Dragon society, Human politics is an extremely complex web of unnecessarily tedious steps, dangers, and protocol. “O fitosi Qsopditt Dussop’t gsiifun.” Because, if anyone can help Lupus, the half- **dragon** , it would be the Draconic House of Nobles and their Matriarch.

* * *

Hana rises up from her prone position on the cot and the first thing she does is look across from her… then sighs as she sees Lady Sakura still there, still alive. The Samurai then places a hand on her chest and… “Huh?” She weakly presses down on her chest again.

“Oh heya! You’re awake!” A high-pitch voice that Hana feels like she should remember sounds out as a small-framed  **skips**  into the medical tent. “Oh, I’m so happy you’re alive!”

“Who…?”

“Oh, sorry!” She hops a bit closer with a huge smile, “My name is Princess Elise, and I’m the one who came like, right in time for a massive amount of healing for you!”

“Princess… Elise?”

She quickly nods, “Uh-huh. So, how are you feeling?”

“Recovering…” A pause, “Something feels off…” Hana looks straight down. “See, I had these… ‘bumps’ across my chest.”

“Oh yeah… High Prince Ryoma mentioned that.” She bobs her head, “Alright so, here’s the thing. While normally taking those out would have meant you… bleeding out. Um, well. Your… Seppuku actually… moved those shards, so…”

“They were taken out?” Hana immediately assumes.

“Yeah… but you’re recovery is gonna take a few more weeks because of that.” She looks away, “I know, I should’ve asked before going through with this, but… I don’t think you would have had another opportunity like this and…”

“Thank you.” Hana cuts her off. “I appreciate that you were willing to help me. Sure, it’ll suck being out for a longer time, but… I can also make a complete recovery, right?”

She beams at her, “You know it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so… Kaden is… training Kagero? Aw, what a nice guy! He barely knows anything about Ninja routines, but at least he can help her with speed. So, I wonder… oh. Okay. That just got rather intense. And Kaden is also confused to why Kagero is so flushed, well then. But, could this mean… Keaton is wanting Hinoka, Lupus wants Dadaan/Setsuna, and Kagero is falling for Kaden? Must be his divine-level fluffy fur.
> 
> *Glares at Lilith* Well, it’s my own fault. I wanted a different language for dragons, and there it is. Behold, an entire conversation in Draconic! Have fun with that. I typed it up in English, translated it to Draconic… then proofread it by translating it into English, before finishing it off by translating it back into Draconic. That conversation is why this chapter is shorter. English to Draconic to English to Draconic. Oh, but who could the Matriarch be? A.K.A. the current Head of the Draconic House. Someone who is currently taking care of a young wyvern.
> 
> Just imagine that… you walk into someone’s house/room, and there’s a growing wyvern strutting around.
> 
> Oh, and I suppose there is a small bit with Hana. Hey… at least she’s going to make an eventual, full recovery.
> 
> So… that means nothing on Lupus, any other Royal, and so on. Again, that Draconic conversation just drained me.


	52. One of a Kind?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the next ‘arc’... though it technically began on the chapter that introduced Lilith. However now, it’s really going to kick off.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Xander = Casander. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

**** There are few things as dangerous as a mother’s fury… while Reina has a rather unusual taste for battle and killing her enemies, that felt like a mere spark when compared to her liege’s anger. She looks behind her for half a moment at her  **platoon**  of Sky Knights, before returning her gaze forward… to the Hoshidan base camp. Though, she doesn’t have to be a mother herself to recognize the pain Her Highness felt when the report from the frontlines was sent out.

Subaki, Kagero, Hana, and Sakura were all recently rescued… but not without issues. Subaki, in addition to his physical deterioration, also lost his Pegasus. Kagero probably suffered the least, only being shackled and having a lack of proper food. Hana… intentionally incorrectly performed her Seppuku, and it’s only thanks to, of all people, Princess Elise of Nohr that she survived it. And gods, Princess Sakura. Starvation, malnourishment, a test subject of a new toxin that burns the magic out of the victim’s body?! Reina grips her reigns tighter at the mere thought of such torture on the kindest woman she has ever known… next to Queen Mikoto.

Princess Elise… apparently she sent one of her retainers out to ‘help’ a caravan that held Hana’s supplies, but he ended up causing the shipment with the Beast Killer toxins to be destroyed. And it was Effie who threw the spear with a message attached, that was written by Kagero.

Then there is Prince Leo, who was… ‘coerced’ into fighting with the pack, but he also chose to leave Nohr of his own will. Nothing is known of the fate for the retainer named Odin, a Dark Mage. His other retainer, Niles, is probably recovering. She’s honestly more surprised the man is still alive. He had apparently suffered a wound from a ‘water stream’ that Lady Corrin used on him, which punctured his midsection. Then his more recent one is being slammed on the ground by a Wolfskin, before being thrown so hard that his body cracked a tree.

“Pegasi Knights! We’re landing!” Reina swoops down first with her kinshi, making an almost silent touchdown. Of course, that doesn’t mean their approach was unseen. High Prince Ryoma, Lord Takumi, Lady Hinoka… and Lady Elise are all already here. Lady Sakura and Lord Leo must be recovering, then.

That just leaves Lady Corrin, who has been taken away…  **again** .

“It is good to see you, Reina.” High Prince Ryoma greets her. “How is mother?”

She dismounts her Kinshi and stands at attention, “Her Highness is surprisingly almost recovered. Without the stress of the barrier, her magic proves to be capable of returning quickly. She has already resumed her Priestess training and has thankfully not lost much of her aptitude during the peacetime. Honestly, though… the most surprising thing I’ve experienced is seeing her… livid side.”

“I can hardly imagine mother being angry…” Lady Hinoka trails off. Reina can see that she’s leaning a bit on her left side.

“I can understand her reasons, though.” Lord Takumi states, being one of the few who hasn’t suffered a major injury. “When that dastard Iago is within  **my**  sights…”

"I just want this war to be over with…" Lady Elise's eyes go downcast.

Despite her being Nohrian, she's still a Princess… so Reina offers her a quick bow, "I've heard reports of your selfless deeds, Lady Elise. I know not what caused you to abandon Nohr, but…"

Lady Elise lets out an unladylike huff, "I didn't 'abandon' Nohr… I'm just helping it by helping Hoshido stop King Garon. I'm not ignorant, I know that Nohr's been suffering for a while now."

Reina slightly lowers herself, “And we’ll do just that… we’ll make sure Nohr is put in proper care.” She offers a smile.

“...And what about big sister Camilla and big brother Xander?” A fair question…

Though, considering how Lady Hinoka’s eyes flashed with that fiery determination. “They both almost killed us, Lady Camilla terrified Lupus, and Lord Xander had her taken away.” She lets out an even more undignified huff.

“She… terrified my little sister?” Lord Ryoma asks, “I was never told this.”

Lady Hinoka glances from Lady Elise to Lord Ryoma, “After we settled in my new den,” Though, it’s… ‘Keaton’ that speaks as he shoves himself into the conversation, “Lupus had a breakdown and was rambling about how A Lady Camilla was going to turn her dragon’s body into accessories.”

Lady Elise nods, “She told my family something similar… it unnerved me. It didn’t sound very ‘big sister-like’.”

“Typical Nohrian…” Lord Takumi tenses, and maybe he would have continued, but…

“Lord… Ryoma!” Saizo dashes into the fray with his small group, “Forgive our delay…”

“As long as you managed to track down my little sister’s location.” Lord Ryoma speaks.

“We were unable to follow the tracks all the way to the final destination, because that would have meant entering Castle Krakenburg.”

A silence follows at those two words. “Uh, Krak...en...burg?” Keaton.

“It’s where the King of Nohr resides and…”

“Re...sides?”

“Why is this… thing even here?” Lord Takumi jabs a finger a Keaton. “Go back to your forest animals and let the intelligent ones deal with the real problems!” Despite not knowing every single detail with Wolfskin and whatever troubles that come with ‘humans and beastfolk’, Reina simply knows that that was a terrible move.

“Wait, hold on…!” Lord Ryoma starts.

The next moment, with a speed that contradicts the strength the Wolfskin are known for, Keaton slams Takumi onto the ground. “If you weren’t related to Lupus,  **human** …”

“Then what, huh? You’re only going around and proving just how backwards your kind are!”

“Little brother, enough! Show them respect!”

“Keaton.” Then, of all people who could intervene in this situation, it’s ‘Kaden’ who steps in. “I understand what you’re feeling, he’s done a similar thing to me…”

“All the more reason to…” Keaton growls.

“Get a grip on your anger and back off.” Kaden boldly cuts him off. “This isn’t your pack. This isn’t my hamlet. We’re in neutral territory and we need to respect what they want.” A quick glance, “Of course I’m not on friendly terms with him, he called me a ‘fox’.”

“No. If anyone needs to show respect, it’s this one.” Despite that, Keaton lets go of Lord Takumi.

“Gods, little brother…” Lady Hinoka sighs as Lord Takumi looks from one to another, then abruptly walks off, “Hey, wait!” And Lady Hinoka follows him.

That certainly could have gone better, and now that that piece of drama is over with… “Saizo, you believe that Lady Corrin is being held in Castle Krakenburg?” Reina asks.

“I do.” Saizo curtly replies. “As I said, we would’ve followed it…”

“I understand, Saizo. I’m grateful that you were able to figure it out, and I’m also happy that you didn’t risk yourself more than reasonably allowed.” Lord Ryoma smiles…

“And I’m assuming we can’t just fight this place like we did the Nohrian Outpost?” Kaden asks.

“That would be a correct assumption. Krakenburg is over a dozen times larger, and since it houses royalty, will both have an expon… erm. An incredibly large amount of guards and being better trained and well armed.”

“We need to get Lupus back.” Keaton states the obvious.

Though Kaden shares a look with Keaton. “Keaton? Can I have a moment to… talk?”

Keaton, in turn, gives a wary look at the Kitsune. “Alright…?” Kaden walks, Keaton follows.

“Times must be interesting throughout the day.” Reina comments. “Such a varied amount of backgrounds…”

* * *

Princess Sakura lets out a weak groan as she slowly opens her eyes. “Lady Sakura!” Her retainer, Hana, cheerfully greets her.

“Hello… Hana.” Sakura gives her a small smile… before frowning, “Why are you…?”

Hana opened her mouth to reply, “She was heavily injured during the battle, Lady Sakura.” Who? Sakura turns to see Lord… Leo?

Sakura gasps, “L-Lord Leo! You… you came back! I knew you would!”

“I…?” Hana looks up.

“I-I told you he’d come! Lord L-Leo went so far out of h-his way for me!” Sakura continues to cheer him on.

“Lady Sakura please, you still need rest.” Lord Leo attempts to calm her down as he approaches her. “You’re still malnourished and…”

…

Silence. But, it’s not because something terrible happened, it’s because Lady Sakura pulled off what is probably the single boldest move she has ever done. See, as Lord Leo was going to try and still her.

She kissed him.

Taken aback by that boldness, Lord Leo didn’t immediately respond. “ **Hey** !” Hana, however, does react. Not that Lady Sakura seems to take note.

Lady Sakura pulls back with an intense flush and a rapid heart. “Everything… will be fine.” She breathes as she lies back down, spent.

Though Lord Leo simply stands there. “I swear to the gods, if you do a single thing to my liege…” Hana glares.

“I only wished to make her happy.” He finally speaks. “And… hey!” He is smacked on the face with a stray spool of cloth. “What was that for?”

Hana huffs, “And you better make sure she’s  **always**  happy.” She then groans and lies back down.

Lord Leo looks between the two women before sighing. Oh… just wait until this piece of news reaches the rest of Lady Sakura’s family.

* * *

Creak, groan. The cell door opens and the first thing Lupus sees is A Lord Casander’s face. She lets out a growl, feeling the danger of not having her Dragonstone on her. Part of her doesn’t care… the other part fears losing control again. “Princess Corrin…” He stiffly greets her.

“Human.” She bites back.

“Yes, ‘human’, because gods know you aren’t one.” He sneers as he is flanked by more guards with  **those**  swords. “Today’s the day, ‘dragon’... get her out of here.” He steps back as those guards come in, two Wyrmslayers are mere inches from her as yet another set of guards goes to remove her shackles. “For every death and abduction you caused…”

“And you think  **you’re**  better than me? You sent your people after the pack! We killed because you crossed my territory! Ours is self-defense, yours is greed!” Lupus snarls.

“Worry more about your own safety.” And of course he dodges the issue. “Let’s move out.”

With two Wyrmslayers behind her, Lupus follows A Lord Casander. As she walks, she looks around the area… stones, gray, too much wasted resources. Corners, up stairs, guards, hallways. Soon that gives way to carpet, red, purple, unreasonably high ceilings, things that… chandeliers. Lupus blinks her eyes as another word that basically invades her mind. Turn, twist and down into another stone-based corridor. They finally stop when there’s a metal gate in front of them. A large open area lies beyond that.

Lupus doesn’t like this place.

“King Garon has approved my suggestion, ‘Princess Corrin’.” He turns towards her, “Instead of a standard execution, you are to fight until you fall.”

“I need my…”

“You are not getting it.” He cuts her off. “You are to use a sword and that’s final.”

“That’s unfair!” She snaps.

“What is…”

“Crown Prince Xander.” The entire conversation is cut off as… some blue-hair woman walks aside…

“Lilith?!” Lupus exclaims.

“Ah, you must be Princess Corrin…” The woman ever-so-gently speaks, “Or would you prefer…” She glances at Lilith, then back at her, “Lupus?”

Lupus remains silent, instead opting to simply look at this woman. Her dress is like black scales while the arms sport a thin sword-like design. Her light-blue hair runs down all the way to her legs and she has golden yellow eyes… like Lilith. Huh, even her hair color is like Lilith’s. Lupus tilts her head.

“Lady Azura.” A Lord Casander greets ‘A Lady Azura’.

“Hello, Crown Prince Xander. It warms me to see you doing well.” She returns the niceness. “How is your family doing?” He opened his mouth, but a light screech interrupts him. Behind A Lady Azura and Lilith walks a… wyvern? A Lady Azura takes notice. “Ej, nz gsoipf ug vji tdemit.” She giggles, “Xisi zua giimoph emupi?” For whatever reason, A Lady Azura hugs herself and tilts her head at the wyvern. The wyvern screeches. She nods, lets go of herself and smiles gently at the creature. “Xuamf zua nopf xeovoph uavtofi?” A Lady Azura gestures outward. A pause, before the wyvern nods and trots back out. She then clears her throat, “My apologies, Crown Prince Xander, but I recently took him in… he was to be killed due to him being born with a weakened heart.”

“Oh, I… see.” Lupus looks between him, the guards around her, A Lady Azura, then Lilith. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

“I came to speak of… sensitive matters.” Her eyes flick towards Lupus.

He huffs, “I understand she would normally be in your jurisdiction, Lady Azura, but  **she** ’s an exception.”

“Then… perhaps we can come to a compromise, one that avoids death?” A pause, “Crown Prince Xander, her kind is few and far between… yes, I’m saddened that there were lives claimed. Yes, I’ll pray for their spiritual safety and that further deaths are avoided, but…” She gestures towards Lupus, “There has been no other record of a half-dragon. The order of frequency for draconic beings states that Wyverns are the most common as we should all know. Pure-blooded dragons are rarely found, and those that do ‘claim’ their sightings are usually critically injured. And, as I just stated, there have been no recordings of a half-dragon.”

Yet, he stands tall, “And there are few people who can claim the personal ire of the Crown, hold multiple assaults towards Royalty, abduct and brainwash a Prince, kill several retainers of said royalty, have a number of Nohrian lives stained on her hands, and… she  **is**  Hoshidan, to which war has been declared. Princess Corrin is beyond your reach.”

“I’m not without my own special powers, Crown Prince Xander. Before  **our**  sacred pact is attacked, I insist we talk things over. If we can’t find a common ground, then I will lay the matter to rest and you’ll do as you wish. Please, do not forget the rules that were established by the first of my bloodline.”

A pause, “...Of course, Lady Azura.” He concedes. “You, Maid. Watch over her.  **You** .” He turns towards Lupus, “And remember what I told you!” Once more facing A Lady Azura, “Come then, let’s talk.”

Lupus glares at A Lord Casander as they leave… but smiles as Lilith approaches her. She raises her hand, “Please, I can care for her alone.” And once more the ‘Maid’ manages to get the others to listen to her as they leave. “Hello, Lupus.” Lilith places her hand on Lupus’s cheek, “I wish I could do more for you.”

Peace… “You have a lot of control over them.” Her eyes flick towards the exit, “And… who was that? A Lady Azura?”

Something passes by Lilith’s eyes, but it fades just as quick. “She is the current Matriarch of the Draconic House of Nobles.”

“The who? And how could she talk to that Wyvern? And what was she actually saying? What were you saying before? And…”

“Shh, Lupus.” Lilith stops her ranting. “Come, perhaps I should share some stories with you… I do believe that the Matriarch will be busy for quite a while.” She smiles.

“Well… something easy first. Are you sisters?”

Her question is met with a gentle laughter. “No, no she isn’t. It might be hard to believe, but trust me, we are not related.” The two begin to walk, “So, let me start with the most general of information… the Draconic House.”

* * *

Within the forests that border Nohr and Hoshido, two men are traveling off the main road… and well, every route, actually. They are both retainers to Prince Leo… Niles and Odin. The two are heading towards Hoshido to hopefully locate their liege, who has gone missing. The only thing they know, well more accurately, the only thing Odin knows is that Lord Leo was heading to ‘the pack’. Beyond that?

It’s all guesswork.

“I still believe we’d have an easier time if we’d just throw our weapons down and march towards the Hoshidan Base Camp.” Niles remarks. “Or, who knows, maybe our liege is being held in Krakenburg right now? What would this be… high treason? Maybe…”

“Silence!” Odin snaps back. “We shall not give in to the darkened thoughts of chaos.”

“Ah yes, that. It’s called being rational. Face it, Crown Prince Xander brought hell down onto the pack, every last of those Wolfskin were slaughtered, then he rode triumphantly back to Nohr with two Hoshidan Princess and a traitorous Nohrian Prince in tow.”

“No, no! Our liege is smart enough, he would…”

“It’s basically a fight between Princess Corrin, Princess Hinoka, Prince Leo, versus Crown prince Xander and everyone he brought… they all have Beast Killers, remember?”

“And I’m saying that…” Odin starts, but immediately stopped.

“Ah, you’ve come to…”

“ **Sh** !” Silence, “Something is…”

“Fear not, allies of justice! Arthur has arrived!” And out from the nearby trees stumbles Arthur, one of Lady Elise’s retainers… with several branches stuck across his body, dirt, leaves, he almost looks the part of a tree. “Ah-ha! Effie! I have managed to locate Niles and Odin! I told you I felt the shining beacon of righteousness!”

“...These forests are hell on my armor.” Effie  **pushes**  a tree away as she labors uphill. “Hold on…” She drops her chest piece, to which Niles whistles, then proceeds to take out almost a boulder’s worth of rocks, then she equips her armor again, “Alright, there we go.” She pops her neck, then her shoulders.

“Ah, it’s wonderful to see you two here… now we all can be wolf food in the middle of a mountainous forest.” Niles scoffs. “Please tell Odin that it would be smarter to just march towards the Hoshidan Base Camp.”

“No! We need to find the pack…” Odin.

“Actually… Arthur and I were heading to the Nohrian Outpost, since that is where Lady Elise was going to.”

“And you decided to take the mountain path… why?” Niles.

Effie glares at Arthur. “Well, due to a… mishap with one of Lady Elise’s orders. I have a restraining order on every single Nohrian shipment.”

“So, instead of possibly risking that, we took the long way around.” Effie nods, “Shall we go then? I’m going to get hungry soon.”

“I agree, I am getting a… villainous vibe from these trees…” Arthur nods.

“I’ve had enough near death experiences in places involving a lot of trees. The sooner we leave the better.” Niles agrees.

“Every moment wasted is another moment that Lord Leo could have used from us!” And with that, the four retainers make their way down the path.

It’s only a shame that their hearing isn’t sharp enough to pick up on the rustle of leaves not too far from them...

* * *

Ryoma looks over the war map with a set of recent scouting information, Reina, Saizo, and Prince Leo. Several new lines and circles have been added to it… well, alongside a completely new map, since the last one had a hole in it from a javelin piercing the tent and map table. “Now then… Saizo’s group concluded that Lupus has been taken to Krakenburg.” He traces a finger along the roads. “Due to Prince Xander’s assault, the pack’s den is lost.” A small circle roughly where the pack was previously located… then struck out with a line. “We’ve recently taken the Nohrian Outpost.” A circle with the letter ‘H’ in the center. “Princess Camilla is being transferred to Shirasagi.” A thin line from the Hoshidan Base to Shirasagi.

“Shall I have the Pegasus Knights perform a large-scale survey, Lord Ryoma?” Reina offers. “Without their top wyvern riders, they should be easy to… cull.”

“Groups of at least four.” He nods. “Have them record what they can, I want, at the very least, major army movements.” He glances at Saizo, “How is Kagero recovering?”

“She is making a quick recovery and while she could outperform most, she’s still a ways from being where she was.” A pause, “Kaden is proving to be a reliable training partner for her.”

“Fair enough… Prince Leo? Is there any input you can provide?”

“I’m afraid I have been left in the dark for many operations. I honestly had no clue of that… ploy with Camilla and Sakura. I also had no clue of Xander’s assault until Niles informed me…  **and**  that Niles was sent out on a mission without notifying me!” Prince Leo takes a step back then breathes deeply, “My apologies… but no, I don’t have any insight to offer.”

“Hm… do you recall the war map back in Nohr?” Ryoma instead asks.

“Ah, yes. Granted, that information will be over a week old, so it may as well be garbage at this point. However, if you truly wish for that, I can provide it.”

“We’ll pick through what we can, I’m sure there’s something we can use…” A pause and…

“ **Milady!** ” A yell echoes throughout the camp.

“... **Effie** !” A much higher pitch scream follows.

“Effie? Gods, that’s one of Elise’s retainers.” Prince Leo, understandably, bolts out the flap. Saizo and Ryoma soon follow.

And the first thing Ryoma sees are four people and so much blood. While he doesn’t recognize them himself, the way that Hinoka is glaring at the one with an eyepatch and the one with a tome can only mean that she does. “Effie… Arthur…” Elise frowns as her healing proves to be extraordinary once more. Within seconds she’s moving from Effie to Arthur, then the other two.

“Milord…” The one with the tome says.

“Odin? Niles? What happened?” Prince Leo cuts straight to ‘why’.

“Oh-ho, you won’t believe who we saw…” The archer  **purrs** .

“That… thing wasn’t her and you know it, Niles!” The tome-wielder snaps back, he must be Odin then.

“And you haven’t seen her with all of that gear…”

“ **Enough** !” Prince Leo silences them both. “Who?”

“Some… monster.” Effie comments. “Armored, horns, scales.” The Knight has several chunks of her armor missing… it almost seems as if they were  **bitten**  off. “One moment she had a lance, the next it would be an axe or a mace or a sword…”

“And… two shields.” Arthur grunts.

“Our resident beast-risen Princess Corrin, of course.” Niles speaks up. “And whew… she was out for blood. No words, no warning, just pure murder.”

“You saw my little sister? Saizo!”

Saizo glares at the two, “She would have to have overcome two strong Nohrians and Prince Xander to escape, not to mention her battle wounds. You expect me to believe that she escaped?”

“Wounds? She was as clean as a newborn babe.” Niles smirks. “That includes absolutely no clothing…”

“Could it have been that… mage who used the, uh…” Ryoma trails off.

“While Zola could have used magic to disguise himself in her ‘partially-shifted’ battle form, Illusion magic can’t react that quickly, there’s no way he could seamlessly form a lance and then a mace so quickly.” A pause, “Wait, an axe? Sword?”

“And can’t forget that maw…” Effie grunts.

“Oh, that’s right!” It’s Odin, “Whenever I casted a spell, she would intentionally take the hit, but she’d always, uh… ‘eat’ it with her maw. At first I thought she was simply causing it to dissipate, but…”

“She shot a fireball at me with her maw.” Effie stands, showing off a sick burn on her side.

“And you are  **certain**  this was my little sister?” Ryoma demands.

“If you’re asking for facial details, then you might as well forget it. She never dropped that head armor for a second.” Niles supplies.

“She… actually, I remember hearing her, but… I couldn’t understand her.” Odin furrows his brows.

Niles scoffs, “She was speaking gibberish and you know it.”

“No, there was this one word she used multiple times, um… ‘Janep’. That’s it, Janep, Janep. She’d turn towards one of us and say that.” Odin looks up at Lord Leo, “Do you recognize that word, milord?”

Yet, he shakes his head, “No, I’m afraid I don’t.” He takes a breath, “Is there anything else you can tell us?” Niles hums, Odin shakes his head, Effie shrugs… and Arthur is passed out. “Lord Ryoma…?”

“Lupus dislikes killing.” Dadaan walks up, “She was actually almost willing to let that red-hair ‘retainer’ walk free.”

“Selena?” Lord Leo asks.

The Wolfskin shrugs, “I guess?”

“Lupus kills to defend, she doesn’t go out of her way to kill.” Keaton arrives. “That’s how the Wolfskin are… we can’t go around risking members of the pack for revenge.”

“And I’ve have to argue that with she’s one-of-a-kind. Who else can do what that wild woman can?” Niles raises an eyebrow, “Face it, your Princess has gone feral… who knows which throat she’ll tear out next.”

“Just, silence.” Lord Leo sighs, “Odin, Niles. Go rest.”

“Yeah… Effie? Get Arthur so he can rest in a cot.” Lady Elise nods. “Big brother… what are we going to do next?” She looks up at Lord Leo.

Who in turn looks at Lord Ryoma, “I believe we need more information. While it is highly improbable… there just might be someone out there who can emulate Lupus’s moveset.”

“Milord, should we scout the area?” Saizo offers.

“No, we all know that Lupus can pinpoint a vanished Ninja. So, if this person is like her, then I’d be sending you to your death… we need another approach.” Ryoma sighs. “Gods, why now?”

Could that really be Lupus out there? Or is there someone else like her? Ryoma is holding out for the latter.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So, an overall summary with Reina… and reinforcing Takumi’s opinion on the beast races. Not really much to comment on here. Maybe with Keaton choosing to walk with Kaden for a talk?
> 
> Next up is a rather short scene with Lady Sakura, Hana, and Lord Leo that ends up with… oh my. So, that makes: Lupus/Seta, Hinoka/Keaton, Kagero/Kaden, and now Sakura/Leo. It’s… just a shame that Sakura is unaware of how little Prince Leo was actually a part of her rescue. Maybe just let this one lie slip? Sakura is clearly happy.
> 
> Lupus… you’re back! And it starts off with leading y’all on for her fight to the death, before the Matriarch of the Draconic House shows up… Azura! So, do y’all like her new dress? It fits her position rather well… and she also has a Wyvern as a friend! She is actually going to end up interesting, in my opinion anyway. Alright now then… through the power of human politics and Azura’s place in them, she has managed to draw Xander away from following through.
> 
> Oh and don’t worry, Lilith’s explanations and stories will pop up next chapter.
> 
> PoV number four goes to a short piece with a total of four retainers trying to find their lieges…
> 
> Before we finally end up with Ryoma. A stable enough scene… until the screams echo and wow. Those retainers must’ve hauled ass after seeing… Lupus? No… that’s not right, right? Well, we know that she’s in Krakenburg. Through Saizo, they can only assume she’s in Krakenburg. I wonder which way they’ll lean towards?
> 
> And as for us… I wonder who could’ve been the one that almost killed the four retainers… by herself?


	53. Draconology 101

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One little, two little, three little *spoilers!* Yep, now there’s a total of three *spoilers!* Erm… hope y’all are ready for a few… surprises.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Xander = Casander. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

Lupus and Lilith are sitting down, in all places, Lilith's shared room in the Servant's Quarters. It never ceases to amaze Lupus the things that Lilith can get away with. She has the distinct feeling that Lilith is far more than she lets on… especially when she so shamelessly discards the notion of 'personal space' to place her hand on Lupus's cheek, then proceeds to gently smile. "How are you feeling, Lupus? Without your Dragonstone, that is."

"I… haven't took it off since mother got it for me." As Lupus was looking down, she missed a glint in Lilith's eyes. "It feels wrong and, well… I guess since I haven't gotten really angry yet that the roaring isn't so loud."

"And that 'roaring' right now?"

"It's fine now… but it was slowly starting to get louder before A Lady Azura arrived." Red eyes meet golden eyes, "That's something… why did that happen? And with you, too. I just feel… safe." Keep in mind that Lilith hasn't removed her hand yet.

The 'Maid' hums, "I suppose you can say we're connected in a way." She bites her lip and pauses… then her ears twitch, "Good, alone." She whispers.

Lupus raises an eyebrow, "Lilith?" Wait, if she can hear the lack of people…

Lilith smiles, "We have a few moments, so…" She reaches into her outfit and pulls out a stone. "I'm not human, actually." She puffs her chest, "I'm a pure-blooded dragon." Pride.

Lupus looks from the stone to Lilith… she then reaches out to move some of her hair, "But…"

No pointy ears like Lupus, "I've learned to hide my appearance with magic. It's taken some time, but I've managed to completely change… me. 'Lilith' is my name this time, but my birth name is Zimipe… or Yelena in the human tongue."

"Oh, well…" A pause, "'This time'? What do you mean?"

Another hum, "Lupus? How old do you think I am?"

Lupus looks her body over again, "Younger than me."

At last, she removes her hand from Lupus's cheek, but only to stifle a giggle. "Oh Lupus…" It literally takes her an entire minute before the giggles die down, "Let's try about three-thousand." Lupus tilts her head with wide eyes and an open mouth, which only seems to cause Lilith's giggling fit to return.

Honesty… "How?"

"Pure-blooded… dragons… physically age slower." She takes a breath to calm herself, "I've been looking like I am now for over a thousand years now."

"You're a dragon? Can you…?"

"I can't." She shakes her head, "Not here." She taps her Dragonstone, before placing it back into her outfit, "I'd release a burst of magic that would be easily detected."

"Then, what about A Lady Azura?"

Another shaken head, "She's purely human." She then clears her throat, "Now then, the Draconic House…" Lupus remains silent as she starts, "Its origins are deeply rooted in Nohr, about two-thousand years, I believe? Granted, I wasn't in Nohr when it happened, I believe I was living in Izumo at the time… which back then it wasn't more than a moderately sized city. Anyway… Azura's oldest ancestors were able to forge a bond of trust between a few very important dragons. These dragons were the eldest of their kind."

"How?"

"I'm unsure of the details. Like I said, I wasn't actually there."

"How old were the dragons?" Yet, unlike even with her own mother, Lilith doesn't seem the least bit bothered by her questions.

She frowns, "As of right now, there have only been about five dragons who died to age alone… two of them are worshipped as 'gods'. The 'Dawn' Dragon and the 'Dusk' Dragon."

"Humans worship dragons? Then were the other three worshipped?"

"We are incredibly powerful beings… not all-powerful, but 'with age comes wisdom'. Those dragons had done it all, so there were few things they didn't know at the time. Their magic is what brought the humans' attention." A short pause, "Now then, the Draconic House was built upon this trust. Nohr was growing into a larger and stronger country… and within it happened to contain the one bloodline who could freely communicate with draconic beings… which includes wyverns. With them, Nohr secured the most unique unit… the Wyvern riders."

Lupus tilts her head, "And this family is what A Lady Azura is in?"

Her eyebrow twitches, "Humans refer to her as 'Lady' Azura, but to dragons she is Matriarch Azura."

"Matr...iarch." Lupus nods, "Matriarch."

Lilith smiles, "But, yes. Matriarch Azura is of that same house."

"Okay, so… about that language thing."

"That would be Draconic. I'm honestly surprised you can't understand it… didn't your dragon parent teach you?"

"I have two humans for parents. Mother said the reason I can shift is because of my 'close connection' to the Dawn Dragon."

Lilith huffs, "Lupus… you can't be a 'half'-dragon if you don't have a dragon as a parent. They're lying to you." Eyes narrowed and she does look rather angry about it.

"Well, I don't remember my father, but I know my mother. So… maybe my father was actually a dragon? Why would a dragon want to be King?"

"A dragon couldn't be King. Lupus, I'm still having trouble with all of the small things humans do… a pure-blooded dragon simply  **can't**  'get' all of the things. There's no way a dragon could be a King."

Lupus groans, "Can we go back to the Draconic part?"

Lilith eagerly nods, "Please, let's do."

* * *

Along the southern end of the border is one of the many forts between Nohr and Hoshido that act as checkpoints, and this particular checkpoints houses two exceptionally strong people who have recently been hired by none other than Crown Prince Xander to kill off a pack of beasts… and there was even a bonus to bring back 'Princess Corrin' alive!

A job that the female axe-wielder, Charlotte, immediately took to.

One successful job later, then Charlotte and the giant man known as Benny, took a near bulging sack of gold back with them. Benny, being the type of man that would be classified as the 'gentle giant', allowed Charlotte a portion of his own pay. Once all of that was taken care of, over a half of Charlotte's gold went straight to her family.

And the two still had an impressive amount to show off.

Charlotte  **did**  try to get more work from the Crown Prince, but the man denied her… and the potential spot of his retainer. Which means she's back to being a border guard… with this lousy pay.

As such, she is standing aside Benny, whom she has formed a great synergy with in combat. He's the shield that keeps her body from being hit, and she's the axe that cleaves into the targets. That's not to say Benny can't kill well, because by the gods he can… it's just that Charlotte does it a lot better.

"...Hey, Charlotte?" Benny calls her out.

"Yes, Benny?" As long as Benny is the only one near, she has no problem dropping her 'nice girl' attitude.

"...weather's nice."

She groans, "Not this again." She twirls her axe on the ground, "Whaddya want?"

"Maybe we could share a meal later?"

"Excuse me?!"

"Uh, not like a date…" He backs off from her sudden outburst. "Just, two co-guards."

"You mean like all the guards do on break everyday?" Charlotte stops twirling her axe and rolls her eyes.

"We could… share a table?"

"Like how most of the guards tend to clump up into sections for stories?" She sighs, "Yeah, sure. I liked fighting beside you, and considering the number of times you saved my hide during that fight, it's only fair."

"That was a pretty tough fight, huh?" Benny shifts around, before getting a good stretch in.

She scoffs, "They were a bunch of beasts, of course we won. I can't believe they gave the King so much trouble in the first place."

"I think they're smarter than we think… don't forget how they entered the fight."

"Bah, that's something a lot of animals use. They probably just saw their little bunny friends doing the same thing." With the axe head on the ground, she leans on the haft. "Wonder if the Crown Prince will return to give us another mission… he did praise us, after all."

"...It felt refreshing, being outside of this fort." Benny nods. "I'd like to do something like that again."

"Yeah… so would…" Crash, crumble, shake.

" **Ahhhhh**!" Someone screams from inside. Charlotte and Benny share a split-second look before moving inside. "M-Monster!" "Focus… kill that thing!" "It's a demon!" Terrified shouts mix together. Crack, splint, gush… death cries follow through like clockwork. It wasn't until they entered, of all places, the breakroom that they saw exactly what was going on…

There's a large hole in the roof, with a crater directly below it. One poor guard had the 'luck' of being crushed under whatever mass landed there as his body lies crumpled in the most unnatural position. The bodies beside him are impaled, cleaved, sliced open, beheaded, and… bitten? Half a body soars past Charlotte and Benny, a look of pure horror as his final expression. And at the center of his bloodbath?

" **Hey**! I thought she was with the Crown Prince!" Charlotte scowls as she brings out her axe, with Benny instantly becoming her shield, as with their fight with 'the pack'.

A woman stands across from them, one arm outfitted as a lance and the other as a maw. Her entire form is covered in scales, her human head replaced with draconic armor and horns, wings sprout from her back and her feet are replaced with clawed appendages. The real last thing of note about her appearance is that it seems her scaly chest armor is bulky enough to prevent her breasts from being shown… well that, and she seems to be alone. "Janept…" The bloodied Princess Corrin raises her lance at the two. Her voice comes out deeper than Charlotte remembers, a combination of an echoey sound and a growling sound. "Emxezt lommoph vjuto xju esi foggisipv… Xumgtlop, Lovtapi, Fsehup. Vjot voni… vjot voni ot foggisipv. Zua jewi velip gsun at vji metv voni." She takes a breath and lowers her stance. "Vjot voni, zuas lopf xomm ci vji upit qatjif cedl, vu ci lommif.  **O xomm fidusevi nz fip xovj zuas cmuuf! Zuas ipvseomt! Zuas cufoir xomm giif nz zuaph!"**

"...huh?" Is all Charlotte got to say before the enraged 'Princess Corrin' is on them, and… gods. It took all the training Benny ever pushed himself to do to make sure that he could even defend. This… beast before them is completely merciless. Did… was Crown Prince Xander… killed? Charlotte shakes her head, not now. Right now they have this…  **bitch**  to contain. Cling, clang, grunt… it's only due to Benny's superior armor that he hasn't already been punctured.

Charlotte attempts to get a strike in, but this wild woman reacts far beyond what Charlotte could ever hope to follow… the axe-wielding woman is cut with a sudden… sword? Charlotte staggers back, before slamming onto the ground as Benny's mass falls on her, a huge dent in his armor which could only reasonably be performed with a… Hammer. 'Princess Corrin's' sword has changed into a massive mace, basically emulating a hammer. "Ngh…" Benny grunts.

Though, as she was about to, quite literally, bring the hammer down, she was blasted on her side by a bolt of lightning. "Gods, I stop by for some supplies and  **this**  is what I see?" Youthful, high pitched. "Hoshidan scum… Archthunder!" Another direct hit as the electricity courses through the mad woman. Benny has gotten up, and as Charlotte. So, she's weak to electricity? Or is it an overall lower resistance? "Arcthunder!" Open, snap.

Princess Corrin stands unharmed. The new, almost childlike, Dark Mage gasps, but casts another… only for the other to snap her maw around it. Charlotte notes that the inside of her maw is now crackling with the same element. "Cut it out! She's storing it!" Charlotte hisses. "Get out of here, girl!"

Benny's shield, once more, saves Charlotte from a gruesome swipe. "Magic is all I know… and don't get me started on age." One tome is switched out for another. "Arcfire!" Charlotte was about to call her out on her idiocy… but 'Princess Corrin' strangely didn't 'snap' it out of the air. "Hmph, only one element at a time, hm? Arcfire!" Another direct hit…

"O xomm puv gemm tu ietomz!" She opens her maw again, but this time the stored electricity is discharged, almost frying Benny… another fireball comes in, but she snaps it out of the air.

"Hee… I have more types for you…" Tome for a tome, "Arcwind!" Again, Princess Corrin takes the hit, she growls. "Flux! Arcthunder!"

The mad woman roars out in pain, before her form shifts into a full dragon. "Vjot xomm puv ci vji metv voni xi niiv!  **O xomm qodl zuas cufoit dmiep!** " The next moment, she charges out the wall, bringing down a section of the bricks with her.

"...damn." Charlotte huffs as she sits… "Aw,  **gross**!" Some guard's lower half rests where she was about to sit.

"...Thank you, miss." Benny heaves a breath as he offers a short bow.

The Dark Mage look at the holes, all the corpses, then back to two guards. "Deadly efficiency…" She comments as she stoops down to a random corpse. "Oh, you're welcome."

"Yeah, sure… now what's a little girl like you doing out here?"

The Dark Mage levels a glare that befits an adult, "My name is Nyx, and I'll have you know that I've been stuck in this youthful body for the last several decades."

Charlotte would have called 'bullshit' on that, but then again… Princess Corrin just literally dropped in and murdered every single guard in here. "Alright sure, thanks for saving us."

"Did either of you catch what she was saying?" Nyx suddenly asks. "Though, I don't blame you if you don't…"

"Why, did you?" Charlotte asks.

She shakes her head, "Not on the spot, no… I need to grab my cipher first."

"So, she wasn't speaking gibberish?" Benny.

"Oh, oh no. Far from gibberish,  **that**  is an actual language… Draconic, to be precise. I recognized…. 'O', 'xomm', and 'vji'. That is: 'I', 'will', and 'the' respectively." A pause, "Well, I suppose I should head out… now that all potential supplies are…"

"Hell no!" Charlotte rounds on her, "You're staying here while we file a report.  **You**  are one of the few living witnesses."

She was expecting the woman to retort, but instead she calmly nods, "Fair enough. I can understand the reasoning… very well. Then, at least allow me to grab my cipher so I can add to the report on what she was saying."

"A reasonable request… go ahead." Benny nods. "We'll… be outside of here." Not that Charlotte can blame him. It  **does**  reek of blood and death.

* * *

Matriarch Azura already had a small table ready as she guided the Crown Prince to a chair. "Do you have a preference for drink, Lord Xander?" She asks as the weak-heart Wyvern trots up beside her, "Uj, O lpux… cav O'n egseof O'n raovi catz." She coos at the deadly draconic being. She then places a hand over her chest, "Vjuahj, fu miv ni lpux og zuas jiesv jasvt, ulez?" Her hand slowly rises and lowers, mimicking a slow heartbeat. The wyvern screeches as he walks to one end of the room… and lies down, more like a common pet. "My apologies…"

"I see you're still incredibly busy…" He cooly comments. "His issue is…?"

"He was born with a weakened heart. He is very liable to pass out during flight."

"Yet… you took him in?" He leans forward.

Azura looks from him to the wyvern, who is now sleeping. "The law of nature dictates he should be left behind, but… I couldn't. Nobody deserves to suffer. So, yes… I took him in, I have every intention to make sure his life is a good one." She sits down, "I did make sure he is sterile, however, so don't worry about mating."

He takes a breath, "How does your mother fare?"

Yet to his surprise, she smiles, "Mother is well, she spends her days either in the library or in the wyvern area. I simply hold the title 'Matriarch' because I am of age. If I need advice, all I need to do is ask." A pause, "I'm terribly sorry for the absence of your family."

The man's shoulders sag, and he lets out a defeated sigh, "Camilla is still imprisoned, Leo and Elise  **chose**  to leave… Beruka, Selena, Peri are all dead, Laslow is M.I.A., and what progress do we have? The recently captured Princess Corrin, that's it!"

Ah, the reason why she lead him to talk. "If you were given the chance… what would you do now?" But not now, Xander's too wound up.

"What I want is what is best for Nohr." A simple reply, sure, but…

"And what would Nohr need most right now?" Is he really willing to face, at least what Azura believes to be the truth?

He leans back and straightens his posture, then crosses his arms… as if he didn't just have a moment of weakness earlier, "Nohr is lacking the proper resources that the Hoshidans refused to part with." Ignorance or admittance? Nohr might have had those resources if they had actually traded… "As such, Nohr needs to win this war." A war that had no right to start in the first place…

And it started over one of the single worst topics possible… the kidnapping of a half- **dragon**. Don't get her wrong, the death of King Sumeragi is a terrible ordeal, but as someone whose bloodline is directly linked to the ancient dragons…

Azura is more honestly surprised that the dragons haven't reigned down and burned their last real connection with the humans. No, that's not it… this was out of her hands, Azura's family had no means to intervene… they would probably take her and hers away. "I wish I could have provided assistance, but I'm afraid my house doesn't deal… with all due respect… 'human' matters all that well."

He sighs, "Yes, I understand what your house is built upon. It would have been an ill-informed move to have your house parlay with the Hoshidans." A pause, "Now then, the subject of this 'talk'..."

She gently clears her throat, "Yes, Princess Corrin. The Half-Dragon daughter of Queen Mikoto and the late King Sumeragi." Azura knows that's not right, as she just stated, Princess Corrin is a half- **dragon** , one of her 'human parents' is not her real parent. But… that's a concern for another day. Right now, keeping her alive is far more important. "I understand that she's incredibly sensitive to judge right now. She falls under both the rule of the Crown, but also the protection of my family's pact."

"That's correct. Both are held in high regard in their own rights. I'm not so foolish as to deny her draconic rights… if it wasn't for your family, we wouldn't have the Wyvern Riders."

"Now then… shall we begin our discussion?" Azura smiles.

A stern face is her response, "Yes, let's."

* * *

Lilith gently clears her throat, "Now, let's try this… I want you to greet me as you would in  **human**  terms, but  **in**  the Draconic tongue." She stresses the 'human' part, because the first time she said that… Lupus sniffed her. She also stressed the 'in', because Lupus assumed she meant with her actual forked tongue.

Lupus nods, then takes a breath, "Jimmu, Momovj."

Lilith internally sighs, two words is better than nothing. "Jimmu, Maqar. Jux esi zua?"

A lengthy pause. "Uh, that was… 'what are you'?"

She shakes her head, "No. 'How are you'."

Lupus nods, "O en…" Lupus blinks her eyes, "cs, sc, cs… I  **hate**  that letter!" She huffs.

"'X'?" Lilith guesses.

"That one! It's stupid and it shouldn't be a letter."

"I'm sure you'll learn it in time, just… please continue." The patience that even the most peaceful saint can't match.

"O en casimm. Jucas esi zua?"

"O en ximm." Lupus huffs again at the letter 'X'.

"Can we do something else?" Of course.

"Oh, hello Lilith…" Flora walks in. "And she is…?"

"Flora, she is the one whom I've been assigned as her caretaker… Princess Corrin of Hoshido, though she'd rather be called Lupus. Lupus, she is one of the two Maids with whom I'm sharing this room with, Flora. She has a twin sister named Felicia."

"Princess… Corrin?" Flora echoes.

"Jim…  **ah**!" Lilith hits Lupus's leg as she almost greeted the Ice Tribe Maid in Draconic. "Er, hello Flora." She rightfully glares at Lilith.

Flora tilts her head at the display, "It's an honor to meet you, Princess Corrin." Yet she greets her in kind, anyway. "Lilith… are you sure it's okay to have royalty in the  **servant** 's quarters?"

"It's okay, I chose to be here." Lupus smiles.

"Lady Corrin, I'm afraid that's not the point. It's a matter of your status and…"

Then Lupus pops off with probably one of the worst lines she could do, "I never asked to be a 'noble', I don't like being a 'noble'." Lupus huffs…

Flora gapes.

Lilith sighs. "Lupus… there are things we must deal with, and you being royalty is something you'll have to deal with."

Lupus glances at Lilith, "Only when I'm with you humans. This stuff didn't happen in the pack. Wolfskin don't care about it."

And there it is again 'you humans', but this time? It doesn't really bother Lupus. Lilith is a  **pure** -blooded dragon, she'd understand, and glancing at her eyes, Lupus would assume correctly. "Excuse you?" Flora takes offense.

"Do pardon Lupus, she's a half-dragon raised by Wolfskin." Despite the tone in which Lilith uses to soothe Flora, she can't help but feel a burst of pride upon saying 'Dragon'.

Flora's eyes flick from Lupus to Lilith. "...interesting circumstances." A pause, "I do need to get going now, have a good day, Lady Corrin… Lilith." She bows then leaves.

"Uh, Lilith?" Lupus asks after she's out of earshot.

"How proud are you of being part dragon?" Lilith has a smug smile on her face.

"I really like it! There are so many things I can do." Another pause.

"Lupus? Would you like for me to teach you about your dragon form?"

With that question, it seems as if Lupus's red eyes started sparkling, "Yes! Erm… Zit, nz gsoipf!"

"Vjip xi xomm cihop ev vji iesmoitv voni quttocmi." The two share a smile.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooo baby… Lupus got some rather eye-opening information while Lilith got probably one of her best moments of giggling. I was originally going to have a scene where Lilith assumes Lupus’s age based off of her own physical appearance, but… that actually wouldn’t have flowed well. It would’ve been something like: “How old are you, Lupus?” Lilith. | “About eighteen? Wolfskin don’t keep track of years.” Lupus. | “Eighteen…?” | “Eighteen.” | “As in eighteen-thousand?” | “What?! No! Just eighteen!” As funny as that could turn out, I just couldn’t think of a means to get it to work well with Lilith… who is far wiser. Besides, Lupus is half-dragon, she simply won’t live as long as Lilith would. Anyway...
> 
> Next up is… Charlotte’s PoV? Oh, that’s an odd choice. At least it shows off some screen time with Benny and her just being Border Guards after their mission with the Crown Prince. Though it’s a shame Xander didn’t hire Charlotte to replace Peri… or Benny in place of Laslow. Then again, if he did that, well… the ‘bloodied Princess(?) Corrin’ wouldn’t have been deterred. But wait, what’s this? Niles, Odin, Effie, and Arthur were traveling more on the northern side, across the mountains and to Hoshido… but I specified that this is a southern checkpoint. Could this doppelganger or Zola really have traveled that far that quickly? Well, Zola probably could with a wyvern, but… this time y’all got to see an actual dragon form, do you think Zola could pull that off?
> 
> Next up is a nice little bit with ‘Matriarch’ Azura. So, aside from her peaceful nature, her care for draconic beings, there really wasn’t much… I might have been able to do the negotiations, but… these political shenanigans, double meanings, and hidden motives in conversations aren’t really my thing.
> 
> Lastly is Lilith, with a small training session for Lupus in the Draconic language. Not really much to say here, either. I just wanted to include a bit with that. Don’t worry though, there’ll be more of these moments between Lilith and Lupus. Oh, and I suppose Flora showed up, only to get offended by ‘you humans’. At least… at least Lupus finally seems to have accepted who/what she is.
> 
> And finally… will Lupus ever learn how to pronounce the letter ‘X’?


	54. In the Name of the Brood (and Family)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve got a number of different viewpoints… but two are rather short. Those two may be short, but they also got some big points in them. Other than that…
> 
> Hey! Draconic is actually starting to become a lot easier to get through. Still gotta rely on having a physical copy of the alphabet… for now.
> 
> To self: Reminder to not go down excessive-angst-valley… add more happy and goofy scenes… give these characters a break every now and then. One downfall to ‘Thirst for Blood’ was not giving Yasei enough breathing room...
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Xander = Casander. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

**** Lupus, more hesitantly, follows Lilith as she brings her to a more open area. It’s not because she doesn’t trust her, but it’s… just new. An uncomfortable kind of new. In fact, if it weren’t for Lilith guiding her, then Lupus would completely avoid this area. “This way…” She walks towards a door, which leads to a small room.

“Are you sure we should be here?” She asks as she enters.

“I am absolutely sure that we have no right to be here.” She confidently…

Wait. “What? We… are  **not** ?”

“This section leads to one of the escape routes hidden throughout the castle. But… there is a room here that is sealed in multiple layers… a ‘safe room’ so to speak.” She taps on a door, “This room, to be precise.”

“Okay well… what can you teach me?” Lupus enters without question, “I don’t have my Dragonstone.” It feels… empty in here.

The door closes and Lupus hears a ‘click’... Lilith then approaches and places her hand onto her cheek, just like every other time. “Lupus? I will promise you this: As long as I can be near you, you won’t lose control.” She smiles.

“...I don’t know about that.” Understandable hesitation.

Lilith puffs her chest up, “Dragons are naturally better than Wolfskin or Kitsune… Dragons  **can**  regain their sanity if they transform without a Stone. On top of that, we’ve lived long enough to where we can calm each other… lengthening the amount of time it takes before the urge to shift starts to overwhelm you.”

“...Like what you did when you first spoke Draconic?”

She nods, “Exactly.” Her thumb rubs on Lupus’s cheek, “Do you trust me? To keep you from losing control?” She takes a breath, “And you wouldn’t be the first one that I’d help. It pains me to see dragons losing their way… or fall to humans.”

“There are good humans, too.”

“They are very few.”

“I have a whole family of them… and there even ones from Nohr that are really nice.”

“The ones from your family aren’t even fully related to you.” She bites back, “One of your ‘parents’ isn’t your real parent.”

“That doesn’t matter… what matters is that they love me all the same. Just like the pack.” A pause, “You don’t know what that’s like, do you?”

She sniffs and steps back, “I don’t need humans to lean on…”

“Matriarch Azura.”

“The last time I’ve seen her family was her great-grandmother. Like I said, I don’t live in the same place… I’ll just change my appearance, use a new name, and do something else.”

“Yeah well… you should try it. Living in one place with one person that you want to be with.”

“I will when I find a male dragon to breed me.” Pride again…

“And if you don’t? You said it yourself, there aren’t that many of us.” Something clicks in Lupus, “Maybe that’s why my dragon parent went to a human… because there weren’t any other dragons around!”

“And if I end up in the same situation, then I’ll do the same.”

“Things are gonna have to change, Lilith. We need to rely on humans more.”

“So they can worm their way in and start slaughtering us again?”

…

“Wait… again? What do you mean by that?” Lupus tilts her head. “Humans were close to dragons before?”

“They were.” A curt response.

“But?”

“They learned that dragons are incredibly magically inclined.”

“So…?”

“Magic runs in our body as much as water in a stream. Once they found out what they could use dragon body parts for, they wanted more.” She scowls, “You think seeing a Wolfskin or Kitsunes skinned is bad? At least there’s something left. Humans take every last bit of a dragon: Blood for tonics, bones are grinded into dust for greater vitality, horns are re-purposed as weapons if they aren’t also grinded, each organ is used in its own recipe for their own benefits.” Lupus cringes, as suddenly the insane A Lady Camilla’s declaration returns.

Yet, “Then why do you live with them?”

Her eyes twitches, “Because I crave social interaction. I go to different places in hopes of finding other dragons. You’re one of the few I found in the couple thousand years I’ve lived in this world.” She looks away, “I don’t know… maybe I simply wasn’t in the right place at the right time. Maybe I missed out on hundreds of others…”

“Hey, Lilith?” Lupus smiles, “Would you like to play a game, instead? Let’s save the serious stuff for later.”

“A game? Sure… it’s been a while since I’ve…” She stops herself and smiles with a nod, y”es. Let’s play a game.”

* * *

The sound of beating wings quickly grows closer as a wyvern lands in a stable in Cheve, its rider frantically sprints from the stable and into the multiple alleyways, twisting and weaving until he arrives to an almost hidden door, before entering. The room he enters seems ordinary enough… until one pushes a normal brick to open up a side room. He quickly enters and approaches the leader of the Chevian rebellion… Scarlet. She stands tall in front of an admittedly crude war map. “Commander!” He pulls out the report and hands it towards her, “Urgent information, ma’am!”

She accepts it with haste, but also with a bit of kindness. “...Death counts?” She asks out loud as her eyes scan the report, “Why would I…” She then notices exactly  **where**  this information is coming from. “The nearby border? A settlement near Mount Garou? Several forts alongside the border?  **Hoshido** ?” Her eyes snap to him, “How accurate are these?!”

“A combination of all available long-range scouts, ma’am!”

“You mean to tell me that every  **single**  one of these settlements have been… slaughtered? And… in similar ways?” Beheadment, bisected bodies, giant  **bite**  marks… “Is there are pack of beastfolk loose? No…” There are also impalement, extreme blunt force, and more descriptive deaths that align with weapons… nothing claws can achieve. She looks it over again. “A total of five… All of those people.” She rubs her hair, “And all of these are also near mountains… Some hit and run group? No, that can’t be it either.” It would have to be a coordinated group of people who only craves chaos. Most of these targets are just… villages. The hard-working class of people who can barely get by. “Wait, what does this part mean? ‘There were no sightings of  _large_  people’?”

“Everyone killed was lean, there wasn’t a single… erm, fat person in sight. One of the scouts regularly visited one of these village, so he would know there are at least some. But… not this time.”

She huffs, “That’s it… I want to establish contact with Hoshido. The rebellion has planned enough, we’ve waited enough. We’re taking action. Go!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Scarlet takes a deep breath and looks over the report once more…

Who the hell did Nohr just piss off?

* * *

Matriarch Azura sighs as she sits back down in her House’s main room. The conversation with Lord Xander could have gone better… but at least she managed to get him to stay his hand.

For now.

Due to Lupus’s uniqueness, Azura can have some time to ‘observe and record’ her behavior, before any other action is taken. During this time, Azura is also going to look into more loopholes and see if she can secure her freedom. She knows that Prince Xander is going to do the same… find out how he can rip any control Azura has to keep Lupus safe. The man is simply too consumed with wanting ‘revenge’.

Revenge is an empty path to follow. The only thing he’ll find at the end is a looming emptiness… a void he’ll fill with more ‘revenge’, then at the end of all the possible targets, he’ll probably become as evil as his own father.

Azura blinks her eyes… how  **did**  King Garon turn so violent? Despite being a noble in Nohr, Azura had always been too occupied with wanting to follow her family’s legacy to note the changes. She was raised to handle draconic affairs… soothing wyverns, establishing connections and trust with dragons. Her family rarely dealt with ‘human’ matters… not including the ones where there was some form of draconic involvement.

Politics aren’t her strong suit.

Maybe Zimipe knows something? “Hm…” She hums as she goes back to the records, “Zimipe… that would be… Yelena.” She sifts through the various books, trying to find the one that houses this specific dragon’s records. Honestly, it isn’t like there are hundreds of names to go through, it’s just that the ones that are here… have so many different things that they have done… names that they went by, positions they held… “Ah.” Azura smiles as she reaches the right page. “Yelena… oh. Oh my.” That  **is**  quite the list. She then gasps, “Oh, she’s met my great-grandmother? I should ask her next time…” Later though, there’s other things she wants to cover like…

“She worked as a… Blacksmith? Guard? Traveling Merchant?  **Village Leader** ?!” Azura takes a moment to consider how such a young looking woman held that particular position… “Oh, there are several different ‘Maid’ positions… in fact, that’s her most frequented one.” But, there are different places… one for a Noble’s house, a few in Hoshido, some in Nohr, Crykensia… what else? “Oh, there’s a three century nap listed here, too.” Huh… “You have been quite busy, haven’t you?”

A soft screech echoes as the weak-hearted Wyvern approaches her, then lets out a ragged breath. “Ej, Jimmu.” She quickly extends a hand and feels for his body, “Zuas jiesv ot… puv ximm, ot ov?” Instead of his standard screech, the large draconic beast lies down. “O tii…” She hums, “Xuamf e nimufz ieti zuas vsuacmit?” A nod that is far too slow for any good signs… “Wisz ximm,” She clears her throat, and places a hand onto her family’s heirloom, a slightly modified Dragonstone. While it is true that Azura’s family is pure human… one of the gifts that were entrusted with them was a tweaked Dragonstone that allowed them to perform complex tasks and assisted them in their daily communication with the more… primal wyverns. “Vjip O xomm toph vu zua upi ug vji tupht vjev jewi ciip qettif fuxp gsun upi hipisevoup vu vji piyv… Vji Tuph Ug Tuuvjoph.”

Matriarch Azura takes one more, deep breath, closes her eyes, and finds her tune…

* * *

He stands atop the mountainside, looking down at the human’s living area with an incredibly high amount of hate… scorn. He clenches his fist, humans take, they take and take and take and never give. His… their mother is gone because of  **them** , but a simple death wasn’t good enough… they had to go and use all of her. They left because she wanted what was best for them, they left because they knew they couldn’t help fight off those who were coming.

But now? Now they can. He takes a deep breath and pulls his white hair back, ruby eyes shining with rage, teeth bared, his Dragonstone paradoxically gently glows as the roaring increases. Humans don’t deserve to live, humans… “Csuvjis.” His growling stops as an almost identical person walks next to him, though this one is a female. “Zuaphitv ot emqje ug e Xumgtlop qedl. Nepz uggtqsoph… ji csiifif xovj emm ginemit.” Then at least there are dragon-hybrids living, but not some mere dragon-human… but dragon-Wolfskin-human hybrids.

The eldest male of the brood nods, “...Epf uas nottoph totvis?” For whatever reason, mother let the  **human**  ‘father’ have one of the eggs. The eldest female looks away, her tongue flicks and she shrugs. Ironically though, if it weren’t for that human side, then he wouldn’t be so concerned. “Xi’mm gopf jis… xi’mm qsuvidv jis.” He looks ahead once more. “Totvis?”

Her shining blue eyes meet his red, then she smiles. “Ewiphi nuvjis.” Within mere seconds, the two shift into their dragon forms… let the slaughter continue…

Blood for blood, life for life.

* * *

It felt good to be back in the Hoshidan Base Camp… familiarity, a sense of security, care, warmth… Kaden. Kagero turned on her side and looked at the Nine-tails who keeps letting her nap on him. She reaches out and starts rubbing his head, smiling as he lets out a small whimper of satisfaction… then she decides to scratch around his ear and is briefly startled as his tails start moving around.

Gods, he is like a pet in this regard.

“Hm…?” He awakens to this, though when his eyes meet hers, all she sees in him is a gentle glint… care. “Well, I wouldn’t mind waking up like this more often.” He grunts as he stretches his body out. “How are you feeling?”

“Rested… happy.” Her hand moves to his side as she runs her fingers through his fur, always so soft. “I’m glad you let me do this.”

“Yeah well… I enjoy my time with you.” He shifts back into his human form, though since he is still behind… er, under her, she missed the playful smirk that lines his face. “Hey, Kagero?”

“Yes, Kaden?” However, that short pause clued her in that something was, “H-H-hey…!” That doesn’t mean she was able to react fast enough when he flipped their positions, except that… well, he was over her.

As long as it’s him doing this, she won’t mind too much. “I want to learn more.” He licks his lips, “And I want you, and only you, to teach me.”

She raises an eyebrow, “And why me, exactly?” Oh, she already knows, but…

“I feel… weird when I’m near you like this. But, it’s a ‘good’ kind of weird, I mean… I have the urge to protect like I would any other mate, but there’s something else. Mates don’t give this ‘warm’ feeling.”

Kagero reaches up and strokes his face, “I don’t know if I can, Kaden.” Yet, before he could say anything, “This is new territory for me, too. I mean, I know what it  **is** , but… I don’t have the best idea for it. While we did part on calm terms, I was still hurt on splitting from Saizo. So, pardon me if I’m… reserved at times.” She takes a breath, noticing he seems unsure on what to say, “I… really like you, Kaden. More than like, I want to be with you, at your side. I want to share my all with you, I want to wake up to your presence, to fall asleep in your embrace. Kaden, I love you.” She flushes.

Perhaps mimicking the previous ones, Kaden lowers himself a bit, and it was by Kagero’s reflex that she closed her eyes and slightly parted her lips. He, thankfully, understood, as the next thing she felt was his lips brushing against hers. So warm, so safe…

So right.

“Love, hm?” Kaden breathes as the two part. “A feeling of a strange tightness that comes with warmth?”

“There are some things that are best expressed in public… and this is not one of those things.” Azama walks by. “I’ll give Kaden a break, but Kagero? Shame on you for being so informal.” He smiles.

Kaden rounds his head and growls at him. “Have  **you**  found someone, Azama?” Kagero quips.

“The only arms I need to embrace of the ones of Nirvana.”

“Nir...vana?” Kaden echoes.

The Monk nods, “Imagine having the luxury of leaving your mortal shell behind to ascend to a level of pristine serenity, to…”

“Kaden, we’re leaving.” Kagero cuts the man off as she gently grabs Kaden’s hand and starts walking. “It’d be best to not listen to him ramble.”

The Kitsune alpha shrugs, “Alright. So, uh… what’s next?”

Her stomach rumbles, “How about some food?”

* * *

Keaton is leaning against one of the many walls located around the Hoshidan Base Camp, with Dadaan by his side. The Wolfsegger has been itching for an actual battle, but that’s not exactly an option right now. It would be too risky to just go out and search for a fight… even if he wants to feel just how much of a boost a Beastrune gives him…

Keaton’s eyes snap over to Kaden, who is lying under a tree… with that female Ninja, Kagero was it? The two are napping, Kaden is in his Nine-tails form while Kagero is using his body as a makeshift pillow and his tails are being used as a blanket. Selkie is… being a source of endless energy as usual.

Keaton has no idea how Kaden managed to keep up with that vixen. It’s  **always**  play, play, play. She has the energy of an entire den inside of her. Apparently she also ‘ranted’ for over a minute right after waking up from being nearly killed by A Lord Xander.

Sighing, he rolls his new Beastrune around in his hand.

A  **Kitsune**  gave a  **Wolfskin**  a Beast **rune** . It’s clear to him just how serious Kaden is wanting peace, but… centuries worth of hate can’t just disappear in one generation, right? “Dadaan?”

“Yes, alpha?” He quickly replies.

“Before Lupus left, before we moved to that new den after those three attacked… what did you think of our traditions? The older ones, before all the changes I made.”

And the first thing Dadaan does is look across to Kaden. “You’re worried about our… closeness to the Kitsunes? Humans?” A pause, “I feel that urge to, but… Lupus would feel terrible if they were hurt. I don’t like the Kitsunes, I don’t want to be near them… but I also want Lupus to be happy, and if that means making sure they’re safe, then I’ll do that.” He glances at Keaton, “And what of your… ‘feelings’ with Hina?”

Keaton sniffs the air and looks in the direction of where Hina is. “She’s strong in her own way, I find her desirable. I  **want**  her.”

“...Alpha, I don’t mean in the Wolfskin sense. In human standards.”

“I understand consent, Dadaan, if that’s what you mean.” He turns towards Dadaan.

“As do I… but I meant more towards keeping her happy. She won’t stay content simply being near a strong male won’t be enough.”

“Yeah, I’ll get her some gifts every now and then.”

“And…?”

Keaton raises an eyebrow, “And what?”

“Gentle physical contact? Soft words?”

“...I don’t get it.” That much is obvious. “So, females want… to be touched?”

“Alpha… just go and spend some time with her, okay? It’ll make her feel better.”

Keaton looks back towards the direction of Hina. “So, just…”

“Go, yes. Just go.” He huffs.

Giving him a curious look, Keaton gets off of the wall and starts walking. Well… things are changing, and Dadaan seems to know more than Keaton on this matter. “Alright.” Across the Base Camp, past so many different humans, and towards that spicy scent. He arrives at the stables, where Hina is brushing down her Pegasus.

Her Pegasus neighs and she startles, then turns around… there’s a certain sparkle that passes by her eyes when she sees him. “Heya, Keaty.” She pats her Pegasus’s head, before walking towards him. “How’s it going?”

For once, he doesn’t mind the nickname… maybe if Hina is the one to use it. “Hey… I’m doing okay, I guess?”

Unconvinced she walks up and is within arm’s distance… just like she did when she stood up to him all that time ago. “Your words say one thing, but your body says another… what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know… erm, I wanted to… spend some time with you?”

She smiles, then grabs him by the arm, “I’d like that… how about a meal?” A short pause, “Hey, Keaty?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for the ruby… I really appreciate the thought.” The other hand reaches down her outfit and she pulls out a new necklace with the ruby inside. “It’s really pretty.” But then she… frowns, “The only thing I don’t get is… why would you gift me a Beaststone?” Oh, so she knows. “Vella was really offended and Lupus…”

So, instead of providing ‘normal’ human reassurance, he says, “Then you can give it to our offspring.”

Several seconds pass, then Hina’s face instantly turns red, “ **Keaty** !”

“...what?” He shrugs.

“You can’t just bring up… having children like that!”

“Why? You do want to, right?”

“Of course I do and…  **wait** ! Hold on!” Keaton can swear that her Pegasus has started doing its own version of laughing. “I mean, I… gods, Keaty, I…”

“Yes?” He smirks. “You  **do**  want to.” He licks his lips as his tail creates its own little windstorm, “I can smell it on you…”

“This isn’t… appropriate ‘small talk’!” She looks away, lets go of his arm, and starts walking, “C’mon, let’s just get some food, alright?” Keaton glances at her Pegasus, who actually shakes his head and lets out a neigh. Shrugging, the Wolfsegger follows Hina. Well, he is kinda hungry…

* * *

It wasn’t a problem in itself that a Wolfskin was courting one of the Princesses of Hoshido… nor was it a problem that a Kitsune was courting one of the High Prince’s retainers… or even that there is a Hoshidan Princess that discards her royal status to live with Wolfskin. The humans in these relationships chose to pursue them, which is something the beastfolk are having to adjust to.

But that adjustment is incredibly minor to the scene that is about to happen. See, Hinoka wanted to get a meal with Keaton… Kagero suggested to eat a meal with Kaden. Out of all the things the two alphas are adjusting to, it’s tolerating the other. Kagero and Hinoka, being the only two humans currently in the mess hall would logically mean they would want to sit beside each other.

The problem comes in that it also meant Keaton and Kaden wouldn’t be too far away from each other.

...It was for the best that Selkie, Dadaan, or Velouria were not present for this.

So, Hinoka sat down and Kagero sat down beside her. “Hello, Kagero.” Hinoka smiles.

“Hello, Princess Hinoka.” Kagero returns the smile. “How has your day been, milady?”

“It’s been going pretty well… though I don’t suppose you can, uh, drop the formalities?” She downs a piece of the rations. Dried jerky…

“I’m afraid not, milady.”

“Well… what if I ordered you to.” Hinoka smirks.

“That would be one of the few I wouldn’t follow.” A gentle, teasing banter…

“So, Kagero… how has, um… Kaden been…?”

The Ninja lets out a small laugh, “It can get awkward, but it’s the endearing kind. We’ve mostly been napping with each other.”

The Pegasus Knight nods, “You do seem more rested.”

“And you seem more relaxed, Princess Hinoka.”

“I do?” She looks herself over. “I can’t really tell.”

“It’s safe to assume he’s taking great care for you?”

“He can be… rough, but after living with the pack and seeing firsthand how tough they have it, I can understand why he’s like that.” She reaches into her outfit, “Besides, he’s given me a gift.”

Kagero’s eyes glint, “That’s a beautiful ruby. It seems as if it has been perfectly cut, too.” Kaden’s ear twitch at her comment… Keaton smirks. Not that either of the two women noticed. “I like it, I think it compliments your hair very well, though I can also say it shines like your eyes… especially when your determination begins to burn through.”

“Oh, well… thank you, Kagero.” Hinoka slightly blushes. “So… did Kaden get you anything yet?” Keaton raises an eyebrow, Kaden glares back.

“We’ve shared some intimate moments. He is incredibly gentle… that alone is worth more than any gift he could get me.” Kaden’s glare turns to a cocky smile, Keaton frowns. “And gods, his fur is truly divine…” She sighs at the thought.

“Hmph, well I like Keaton’s more rugged nature more.” Hinoka shrugs, “It’s obviously a matter of preference… but I like the scents I associate with training.”

“That does sound more like Hoshido’s, with all due respect, tomboyish Princess.” Kagero smiles, Hinoka smiles. “Regardless, I’m glad you’re happy with Keaton.”

“And I’m glad you’re happy with Kaden.” Hinoka twirls her fork, “So, about their more… uh, blunt side?” A short pause, “Not that I mean for it to sound like it’s bad.”

Kagero lightly giggles, “I understand… they just need to learn, right?” Perhaps the two are so involved in their exchange, that they forgot the object of their conversation are sitting next to them.

“Heh, you can say that again… can you believe that Keaton just publicly declared he wanted children with me?” Her face flushes again.

“Well, do you?”

“Kagero!”

Another more lengthy giggle, “My apologies, milady.”

“Yeah well, did Kaden ask you the same thing?”

She hums, “Not… vocally.” Kaden tilts his head at the declaration.

“Then, how so?” Hinoka asks.

“For a few of the naps, I awoke to, well…” She clears her throat, her face starting to give out its own flush, “him ‘poking’ me.”

“Oh, oh…” And now both of the women’s faces are burning quite brightly. “Well then. I… Keaton hasn’t done that, so…”

“Men.”

“Men.” The two share a laugh.

Now this is a far more calm conversation when compared to how Keaton and Kaden stumble through it. “Keaton.”

“Kaden.”

“...I see you are with a female.”

“You as well.” Keaton pushes his food aside, it looks bad, it smells bad… “Uh, thanks… for the Beastrune.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad we’re able to… talk. Rather than try and rip the other’s throat out.”

Keaton nods, “It’s different. Not to mention sitting with humans.” He glances at Kagero, “So…”

“So…?”

“What’s it like to you? Being with a human?”

“I want to be with her, she’s nice… I feel a lot better when she’s around.” Kaden glances at Kagero, and he forms a smile, “And what about Hina?”

“She’s rough, but I think that fits her really well.” He takes a quick breath, “She’s willing to step up to me, and I think that makes her a suitable mate. When was the last time a female ever tried to assert dominance on you?”

Kaden scoffs, “Surprisingly enough… Selkie. She can be so… draining.”

“I meant as a mate. Velouria does a similar thing when it comes to Lupus. The second she’s the subject is the second Velouria will outright deny orders.”

Kaden nods, “Another piece of common ground…” A short pause, “But… to answer your question. I haven’t met one. That’s just how we adapted, right? ‘It’s not about what the female wants, it’s about what the male wants’. So then, how does it feel? Actually doing things that the female wants?”

Keaton looks at Hinoka, “It can get frustrating at times, but… there’s a distinct good feeling that comes from seeing her happy.” He then notices that she has pulled out his gift, the Beaststone that belonged to the previous alpha… and he smirks. “And you should’ve seen her expression when I gave her that.”

“She has no use for a Beaststone.” He points out.

“That’s not the point. The point is that she likes it.” Keaton huffs. “And what did  **you**  get Kagero?”

“My time… actually being by her side. Women want more than just gifts.”

“And you would know better?” Keaton puffs his chest, “I’ve been with Hina longer than you have with Kagero.”

Kaden rises to his pride, “And how much time out of the day do you actually spend with her? I actually take hours out of every day I can to care for her.” He takes a breath, “Do you know how it feels to hold a woman close? To breath in her scent? I haven’t felt anything as pleasing as when I feel her body on mine, her warmth, her gentle breathing… I just feel like I keep wanting more.”

Keaton crosses his arms. “Hmph… Kitsunes.”

“Wolfskin.” The two look away from each other.

Hinoka speaks up, “...You two are getting along, right?” And it took until now for the two women to notice.

“We understand this is difficult, but… please try to remain friendly with each other.” Kagero adds.

Keaton looks at Kaden, “Yeah, we are…” Though the Wolfsegger adds in a lower tone, “but only because it makes you happy, Hina.”

Kaden looks at Keaton, “For you Kagero, there are few things I won’t do.” He mutters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooooo, Lilith is taking Lupus to places she shouldn’t be at! And now I take the time to show off that Lilith still has a sore spot when it comes to humans. At least she’s trying to live peacefully… despite some more of the darker bits of her memories. Well that, and Lupus managed to get her to want to play a game.
> 
> Now, continuing with the good news we… oh. The only real ‘good’ news here is that Scarlet makes her first appearance, because oof. Both Nohr and Hoshido are being assaulted? And it doesn’t seem like the killers care for life all that much…
> 
> On that scene, I did have trouble with it. Not with what is in it, per say, but… well, who it would be centered around. First it was having, of all characters, King Garon get a report that Nohrians are being slaughtered. Then it was either Queen Mikoto or High Prince Ryoma. Then… I thought this might make a good chance to get Scarlet in, and… yep. Still though, I think it’s a stretch to say that Scarlet and the rebellion has reports on Hoshido.
> 
> Next up is a moment of peace with Azura and an overall glimpse of just how much Lilith, er, Yelena has been busy. You can now all take a moment to imagine her wielding a blacksmith’s hammer… or leading a village. Maybe she’ll share some of those stories with Lupus next time, rather than… y’know, grinding down dragon bones.
> 
> The single shortest PoV award goes to… that guy. I was really stepping out of my boundaries for him. Clearly not a ‘good guy’ or in Leo’s position with being near the line of ‘good’ and ‘bad’. Just a whole lot of craving for kills. Though, there is that bit with having… Dragon/Wolfskin/Human hybrids? So, there you go… Lupus isn’t the only dragon/human hybrid now.
> 
> That just leaves the combination of Kaden and Kagero, Keaton and Hinoka, and a scene with both of the couples together. It all rolls up into one huge package of cute and cringy.


	55. Her (Dark) Knight in Shining Armor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took Xander off the Nickname list, since the reason Corrin/Lupus calls him Casander is her inability to pronounce the letter ‘X’, rather than being an actual nickname. As such… Nyx will be called Nycas in Corrin’s/Lupus’s PoV.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

High Prince Ryoma sighs as he runs a hand through his hair. The war has been going on, the barrier has been dropped… but it doesn’t seem as if either side are making any major advancements. It’s either attempt to break through the main road, which is the only path that can hold more than a squad of soldiers at a time... or it’s risk going through the mountains, which risks both encounters with other Kitsune hamlets on Hoshido’s side of the mountains and Wolfskin dens on Nohr’s side of the mountains…

The only ‘good’ part about this is that Nohr has the same limitations.

He then looks at the, honestly, gruesome report… as if fighting to get through Nohr wasn’t bad enough, there are apparently Hoshidan villages getting bloody endings. A third party is what is being assumed, but who? Taking into consideration the lifestyles of both Wolfskin and Kitsune, he doubts it’s either of them, right? That would be taking excessive risk, it would make them too vulnerable. Regardless, he  **did**  ask Kaden and Keaton and well…

“I already told you before, there’s no good reason for us to risk losing those of the pack like this.” Is what Keaton told him.

“Uh, no. Humans hunt  **us**  down on our territory, not the other way around.” Is how Kaden responded.

He got the response he expected.

Still, on the topic of beastfolk… he did call in the two alphas. Kaden is standing on one side with his hands in his pockets while Keaton leans on a pole on the other side. “It’s about Velouria.” Is what Ryoma started off with. “I need another way to keep her from running off.” He looks at the both of them, “Her body is developing an increasingly high tolerance for the sedatives, it’s taking higher doses to keep her in the same state… besides, she’s also losing muscle.”

“So… you need to keep her tired.” Keaton states, “That’s not much of an issue, Dadaan or me can wear her out.”

“I’d also rather not risk having our fighters seriously injured. You did say she becomes violent whenever Lupus is in danger, right?”

The Wolfsegger huffs, “And you also just said she’s losing muscle.”

“I think what he’s trying to say is, what about after she regains that lost strength?” Kaden suggests. “Wasn’t she around your level of strength?”

“And you also said she’s prone to defying orders… if Lupus is in danger.” Ryoma adds.

“Alright, fine. Fine. Yes, you’re both right… but do you have a better idea? Once she starts to become a challenge for playtime for Dadaan and me, what will you do?” A short silence…

Then Kaden speaks up, “She’ll be strong, right? Well, how about fast?” He smirks, “Have her chase Selkie.”

“Keaton?” Ryoma looks at the Wolfskin alpha.

“If she catches Selkie, you can expect her to become a meal.”

“She won’t catch her.” Kaden proudly claims. “She’ll be aware of the dangers. Besides…” He clears his throat, “Her current… playmate needs rest.” He looks between the two, “I’ll go get her right quick…” And just like that, he’s already out the tent.

Ryoma nods, Laslow has already been sent to the clinic a few times now. Overexertion, dehydration, among a few other things directly related to hours of running away from a vixen who seems to never run out of energy. “Then that’s what we’ll do. Have Velouria chase Selkie and when she’s worn down… maybe we can reason with her. It would be no good if she runs off to try and save Lupus.”

“And that’s exactly what she’ll try to do.” Keaton confirms.

“Aren’t the females supposed to listen to the males in your culture?”

The Wolfsegger sighs, “‘Supposed to’, yes. The offspring that grew up with Lupus were… different. We all sorta learned off of her human habits. The older Wolfskin considered us weak for that, but… that changed when Dadaan, who was the weakest out of every Wolfskin, managed to beat down one of the older, more experienced Wolfskin.”

“There is no better cause than fighting for one’s family.”

He raises an eyebrow, “I didn’t say anything about him defending family.”

He chuckles, “No, but I know exactly the type of strength you’re referring to. It’s the drive to protect the ones you love, a cause worth fighting for.”

“...Like when you ‘dueled’ me?”

Ryoma smirks, “We’re having a rematch one day. And I will keep having rematches until I best you.”

And now it’s Keaton who chuckles, “You won’t win, human.”

He was about to retort, but Kaden arrived with Selkie, and well… “Ooo ooo Ka-da told me you guys have a new playmate for me! Who is he? Who is she? Actually, I really don’t care which I just know that Lass is getting too tired too quickly and it’s even gotten to the point where biting him doesn’t really do much to get him moving again and that’s not really good at all I wanna play and keep playing but it’s like nobody else in this camp wants to play with me and the ones that do give up before things ever start to get really fun and Kaa-daa~! I wanna play with Kitsunes!” Keep in mind, she said that all in one breath. She then bites her lip and looks around, “So, is Red my new playmate?”

With at last some room to breathe, “No, he isn’t.” Kaden denies.

“Aw… so, I’m playing with Keaty?” Selkie looks the Wolfskin…

“No, not him.”

“Aw… oh,  **Oh**! I got it! One of those invisible people are here, aren’t they?” She sniffs the air and starts walking around.

“Selkie… Velouria will be your new, uh, ‘playmate’.” Ryoma supplies.

“...but, Vella is sleeping.” She frowns, “I can’t play with a sleepy partner.”

“That’s the part of the problem. Velouria’s body is developing an increasing resistance to the narcotics we’re using to subdue her. Soon it will get to the point where it would be irrational to continue… we want  **you**  to wear her out.”

“Oh… okay, I get it, yes. Vella chases me until she gets too tired to keep going. Easy.”

“You do realize if she catches you…?”

“Pfft, she can’t catch me… Ka-da has a hard time catching me.” Ryoma hears the Kitsune mutter a ‘just one time’. “So yeah, I’ll do it.” She quickly nods.

“And Selkie, you need to make sure she’s chasing  **you** , and not trying to run off to try and save Lupus.”

A few moments pass as Ryoma can, more or less, literally see her mind at work. “Okay, I got it!” She replies. “I know exactly what to do… See ya!” She dashes out.

“Oh gods… what is she going to do?” Ryoma asks out loud.

“I should at least make sure she doesn’t get out of hand.” Kaden leaves.

“Keaton?”

“What? You guys are willing to provoke…”

“Would you like to spar?” Ryoma offers.

Keaton hesitates, but ends up nodding, “You are on, I’m gonna…”

“ **Spar** , not duel.” He stresses, “We’re not going as far as last time.”

He shrugs, “Alright. Still gonna win.” He walks out with a confident air around him.

Ryoma chuckles, “We’ll see about that.”

* * *

Lupus awakens to a loud screeching noise. The increasingly familiar binds of her shackles are rubbing against her wrists. Her body feels sore and tired, though part of that has to do with her playtime with Lilith… before Lupus was forced back into this cell.  _“Just… hang on, okay? Matriarch Azura will find a way.”_  Is what Lilith told her as she was locking Lupus back into her chains.

“Princess Corrin.” A Lord Casander ‘greets’ her. “Come, there are some… things that require your presence.” With his ‘special sword’ by his side, and another four Wyrmslayer wielding guards, Lupus is freed from her cell only to be guided along by these humans. “There have been some interesting developments lately… did you know that one of the border forts has had its guards slaughtered?” No, of course she didn’t.

“And why should I care?” She narrows her eyes.

“Hmph… you’ll see.” After that the trip remained largely silent. A Lord Casander simply looks ahead, while Lupus is lost in her own thoughts. How is her family doing? How many of the pack is left? Did they leave Hina? What about….

Oh, what about Vella? Lupus shivers at the thought of how her Wolfskin sister is feeling right now. And… who is unfortunate enough to stand in between Vella and Lupus. Please, don’t do anything too reckless…

Up stairs, turning around way too many corners, and to a large door… like what Shirasagi’s throne room has. Oh, then this must be Krakenburg’s throne room. The large doors creak open and… yep. There’s a throne at the end. Some old gray man sits on it. “King Garon.” A Lord Casander speaks up. “Princess Corrin is here.”

The man rises, a giant axe on his back. He begins to walk closer, “Princess Corrin of Hoshido… stand aside.” He shoos the guards aside so he can get closer. “The girl who was stolen from me.” He pulls his axe out, “How well do beasts remember, I wonder? This axe cleaved open your primitive alpha.”

“And you were the only human left… the alpha,  **oof**!” She’s backhanded by Garon.

“Mind your tongue.”

“...didn’t want to stain his claws with aged flesh.” She finishes regardless. “You weren’t worth killing.”

“You…!” The axe head slams on the ground, “And what good was that? They are all  **dead**  because of that wolf’s ineptitude. Had he actually killed me, your precious pack just might still be living!”

“And yet you’ve still lost more than I have… didn’t A Lord Leo choose to leave?”

He opened his mouth to retort, but the doors opened again, “Your Majesty…” Lupus tenses as she recognizes two of the scents… those humans that just wouldn’t fall. Though, there is a third one that she doesn’t know. “Benny and Charlotte of the border guard who has suffered the tragic loss… and a wandering Dark Mage who became the force to repel the murderer.”

“See? I told you she was with the Crown Prince!” The blonde female axe wielder whispers.

“Benny. Charlotte, and…?” A Lord Casander starts.

“Nyx, Crown Prince Xander. And please, appearances can be deceiving… I’ve been trapped in this youthful body for the better part of two decades.”

Honesty.

“I see…” A Lord Casander nods.

“Now, about this… murderer?” King Garon directs his attention to them.

“If I may?” Nycas asks the other two, “...very well.” She clears her throat, “While I wasn’t present for the very beginning, I can say that this attack was an ambush. This person broke through the roof and into the break room, crushing the guard directly below, then proceed to bisect, beheaded, and bite through the three guards near him. By the time Benny and Charlotte arrived, every guard in that area had been slaughtered.”

“Is it as she claims?” Garon looks at the two border guards.

“Yes, your majesty.” Benny nods.

“That would be correct, King of Nohr.” Charlotte agrees.

Garon returns his attention to Nycas, “And?”

“When I arrived, Benny was knocked down atop of Charlotte, while this person had one arm in the form of a mace and the other as an enlarged maw.” Lupus tilts her head… is there someone else like her?

“She looked just like Princess Corrin, your majesty.” Charlotte adds.

“I wouldn’t be so quick to assign genders. One cannot simply tell if this person was male or female.” Nyx shakes her head, “This person has seemed to abandon all humanity and looked almost exactly like a dragon, bar the tail. Therefore, in looking the part of a reptile… females don’t have breasts, while the male’s genitalia is located in a slit, that for the sake of simplicity, looks like a female’s vagina. Simply put, we don’t know its gender.”

“Interesting… so there are more like Princess Corrin?” A Lord Casander asks.

Nycas nods, “That is a reasonable assumption… and if I am to assume that both of these are ‘half-dragon’, and the fact that they are so similar… that the draconic parent is the mother. Dragons lay batches of eggs… I would expect there are at least a total of four other people like Princess Corrin.” She pulls out a paper, “Lastly, I know there's a dragon for a parent as this person spoke fluent Draconic.”

“Hmph, dragons… you, fetch Lady Azura.” King Garon points at a guard.

“Yes, your majesty!” And just like that, he leaves.

“Continue.”

Nycas nods, “There wasn’t much to go off of, as unfortunately, the only things that I have heard are claims. ‘I will not fall so easily’, ‘I will pick your bones clean’, and ‘this will not be the last time we meet’.”

“There was more, but we cannot recall what she said.” Charlotte adds.

“The point is that there are more of these half-dragons out there.”

“Do you have any suggestions, Nyx?” A Lord Casander asks.

“Without more information, there’s nothing groundbreaking I can offer. I could assume that that half-dragon lives in the mountains near the border fort… but then you’d be fighting it on their terms. For defense… get some better trained guards that wield Wyrmslayers.”

“Hmph…” A short pause from Garon, “One last thing… Xander?”

“Yes, King?”

“You are lacking two retainers, are you not?” He points at Charlotte and Benny, “And those two served you well. Why did you not ask them?”

A Lord Casander tenses. “Laslow is still alive, I can’t just…”

“You are missing both of your retainers. Laslow can’t protect you if he  **is not here** ! I will  **not**  have you walking around without retainers! With the others missing, you are the only one left to inherit the throne. Do I make myself clear?!”

“...yes, your highness.” Well then.

He then rounds on Lupus, “And get that beast out of my sight. She has no more use in this conversation.” Lupus simply glares at him as she’s prodded to leave… with four Wyrmslayer wielding guards around her.

Are there really more like her? But, if… is Nycas right? Then, is Queen Mikoto… not her mother?  _“You can’t be a_ **_half-dragon_ ** _if you don’t have a dragon as a parent, Lupus!”_  Lilith’s words echoed in her head.

* * *

Prince Leo sits aside Princess Sakura’s cot as he reads over a book that he has borrowed. She has made an admirable recovery… as has Hana. The former is slowly starting to look to how she was… when she was first imprisoned, while the latter has regained most of her blood. Still though, he remains near them. He did fail to keep Lady Sakura safe, and she has suffered the worst torture that he could ever thought possible.

She might have a proper amount of nutrients, the ‘Magebane’ toxin might have finally exited her body, but the damage has still been done. Her body is lacking all the muscle she had gotten during her Priestess training and her skills in Festals has probably dropped a fair amount.

Magic…

Leo visibly flinches as he looks at the Brynhildr, a Divine Weapon that  **chose**  him, something nobody else can wield… the single most potent tome in his arsenal.

And he can’t even use it now.

Why? Why!? True, he might be fighting against Nohr now, but the end result will make it a better place… can Divine Weapons just not ‘see’ that far ahead?!

It is because of that he has to go back to ‘normal’ tomes… because gods know he won’t get used to Scrolls. See, while Tomes and Scrolls might be the same ‘type’ of weapon, they take different approaches… like how to strike with a katana versus a sword.

Seeing that he is losing his focus, he closes the book and sighs. “Prince… Leo?” Lady Sakura’s voice calls him out, a gentle smile on her face. “What’s wrong? C-Can… I help?”

He must truly have an effect on her, considering her stutter is almost completely absent. “The best thing you can do for me is to rest and recover, Lady Sakura.” He politely shrugs off her…

“But, I’m tired of b-being on bedrest. I want to walk around again, I want to feel Hoshido’s wind… to feel the sun. I’m tired of being in-inside.” Tears even start forming in her eyes. “I-I’m a healer… and I know that I need to g-get up and move around.”

“Did someone say… healer?” Leo’s little sister, Princess Elise, hops in. “Who’s ready for some check-ups?” She smiles as she skips over to Lady Sakura, “Geez big brother… you sure are super-serious about her recovery, aren’t you?” Then, of all things, she  **winks**  at him.

“H-Hello, Princess E-Elise.” Lady Sakura’s smile remains.

“Oh please, just Elise! I don’t like having these titles thrown around… I wanna be your friend!”

“...I’d like that.” She nods.

“Awesome! Now then… let’s see how you are doing, alright?” She pulls out her… Festal?

“Little sister?”

“I know, I know. Festals and Staves don’t work in the exact same way… but mine sorta kinda ran out of magic.” She bobs her head, “Besides, it turns out they aren’t as different as I first thought.” She hums as she glances at Leo, “Have you tried out Scrolls yet? Since… y’know?”

Leo’s expression darkens, “Pr-prince Leo? S-since… what?” Lady Sakura asks.

“Little sister… how did you find out?”

Elise squeaks, “Uh… you were muttering about it when you were sleeping one night. I’ll just… heal Lady Sakura now. Yep!”

“Prince… Leo?”

He looks away from Lady Sakura’s concerned face. “I’d rather not talk about it right now.” He rises, “I’m going for a short walk… pardon me.” He takes a deep breath as he leaves. Was he overreacting? Maybe… but it feels like he lost a part of him when the Brynhildr stopped working for him. He reaches into his outfit and feels for the tome.

That doesn’t mean he is going to leave it behind. The Brynhildr is his right and his right alone!

“W-wait… Prince Leo!” Lady Sakura hurries forward, taking huge breaths as she manages to catch up, before her legs seem to give out and she falls.

“Gods, Lady Sakura…” And she would have, had Leo not caught her. “You’re not fit to run… maybe even walk.”

“Lady Elise… suggested I move. I… I want to walk with you.” He carefully steadies her. “I-If that’s okay with you, I mean.”

“I see no harm in it. Just don’t push yourself too much, Lady Sakura.” He nods as he resumes his walk, if a bit slower to accomodate for her.

“I-I’ll be fine… as long as you’re near.” Now it is him who almost stumbles when she said that. “You could’ve done whatever you w-wanted when I was… but, you didn’t. Y-you helped me however you could and… and you saved us!”

He internally flinches, no… no he didn’t save them. He wasn’t anywhere near them. “I was going to continue acting in a hostile manner…” His feet are on auto-pilot as he thinks his words over. “But, even after that first day, when you showed nothing but the highest amounts of kindness… I knew right then that it would have been a crime to treat you as such.” He takes a breath, “I was moved by your kindness. I admire the resilience you showed. Even after I had failed to protect you, when you were moved to Iago’s torture… you kept that air of kindness.”

Her face has since flushed, “W-well… I don’t think we c-can move forward if… w-we don’t get along. I’m willing to t-take that step forward, f-for peace. I… j-just had that feeling with you. A-and I was right! I mean… I can’t i-imagine how t-tough it is to fight against your h-homeland, but at least we all know it’s for the betterment. Nohr will be a better place.

He stops near one of the edges of camp. “Lady Sakura… you were, you are the catalyst for what I’ve done so far. I had never fully agreed to the choices my father made, but it wasn’t until you that I had decided that what the King wanted that I decided that this isn’t worth fighting for. I understand that if he were to take Hoshido, then this land could very well turn as barren as Nohr. That the good people of this land will fall under his rule.”

Lady Sakura has a gentle smile as she slightly looks away, “I-I wouldn’t say I was that much of an influence… right?”

“Lady Sakura, you have a much higher involvement in my choices than any other person, I… I truly care for you. As a man to a woman.”

She squeaks and her eyes widen a bit, “Pr-prince… Leo?”

He turns away, if only because he doesn’t think he can tell her face to face, “I’ve fallen for you, Lady Sakura… I have been slowly became more and more swayed with every visit, no… every minute I spent with you. And now? I realize how much you mean to me in this moment, and I can fully believe that feeling will only increase.” His own flush has formed, “I realize I’m Nohrian royalty and that you are Hoshidan royalty… Lady Sakura? I’ve… I am in love with you. I wouldn’t want any other by my side.” A lengthy pause, “Lady… Sakura? Lady Sakura!” When he turns around, she had fallen backwards to the ground. “Gods, are you…?”

“You… l-l-l-love… me?” He can practically hear her heart racing. Yet, before he could address his concerns anymore, “G-gods, I… I’m so… happy. I… you wouldn’t believe how much I wanted to admit the same, but I was so worried, so afraid you’d deny my… my… my love for you.” She looks up at him with a tear stained face.

“Then, you do, too? You…?” He leans in closer, as does she and…

“Ohhhhh my.” They both halt as a very familiar voice calls them out. Lady Sakura lets out a high pitch squeal, though all Leo does is let out the biggest sigh he ever had.

“Niles.” Leo helps Lady Sakura up.

“The refined Prince Leo… getting down and dirty with the youngest Hoshidan Princess. Come to take that innocence, hm?” The archer smirks. “Deflower this beautiful woman? Perhaps…”

“Niles. Enough.” He snaps back, “Leave.”

“As you command, my liege.” He smugly walks away.

“Pr-Prince Leo?” She manages to find her breath again.

“I can’t believe he would just… gods. I’m so sorry for his behavior.” And at such a perfect moment, the time that… “!”

Lady Sakura is on her tip-toes as she plants a kiss on his lips and when she pulls back, her face is now completely red. “I love you, Prince Leo…”

“I… love you too, Lady Sakura.” Did… did she really just start the kiss? That’s one of the last things he’d expect her to do… then again, she  **did**  start the last one, but he attributed that more to her being half-aware from just waking up.

“Shall we continue walking?” She smiles and the only thing he could do was nod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems as if Nohr and Hoshido are at a stalemate right now. Neither can push an offense past the main road… and of course the mountains are cluttered with Kitsune hamlets on Hoshido’s side and Wolfskin dens on Nohr’s side… not to mention those, uh, roaming half-dragons. Speaking of those, now Ryoma is aware of the recent slaughters. Well, all that and… Velouria is developing a resistance to those sedatives, so hopefully they’ll be able to wear her out. Regardless, it would be bad if she entered a fight without being at her best.
> 
> Oh, and I suppose Ryoma and Keaton are having a rematch.
> 
> At last, after so many years, King Garon finally gets to see Princess Corrin firsthand. Well that, and now he also knows about the border fort slaughter… as will Azura. Honestly, that scene was more for establishing doubt within Lupus that she just might not have two humans for parents.
> 
> Ah, Leo. Good to see you’re doing well… as well as Sakura and Hana. Hana simply needs to train to get back to where she was. Sakura might need a bit more bedrest, then she can get some of her training started up. Leo… is more damaged in the fact that he’s recovering from the Brynhildr not working for him.
> 
> Looks like that trend is continuing… the one where the women start the kisses. Well, Kaden did start a second one, but that was after Kagero already kissed him first, so I’m not going to count that one.


	56. We Need to Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As we all should know by now, Lupus cannot properly pronounce the letter ‘X’... and believe me, I’m trying to avoid this as much as possible, but…
> 
> When translating Lupus’s Draconic speech, do take note if ‘cas’ are together as shown. If going from straight to Draconic to English, it would normally be ‘but’... however! Remember that Lupus says ‘cas’ instead of ‘x’, like Casander (Xander), Nycas (Nyx). ‘W’ in English is ‘X’ in Draconic. So for Lupus, and only Lupus, ‘cas’ can also translate to ‘w’! Basically, if you’re translating something back to English, and you encounter ‘cas’, make sure you are taking the surrounding words/letters into account.
> 
> ‘O xomm’ for the others will be ‘O casomm’ for Lupus.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

**** It didn’t take much to spark interest… it quickly got out that the High Prince of Hoshido and the alpha of the Wolfskin pack that raised Princess Corrin were having a spar… and that it wasn’t the first time the two have crossed. Granted, the actual ending of their previous duel wasn’t publicly announced, but there was just enough to… well.

There was a crowd around the two that rivaled the Wolfskin pack last time.

To them, however, the only people there were each other. Ryoma is wearing his armor once more, his Rajinto is leaning against a nearby support. Keaton has his ‘appropriate’ clothes on, because well. In between the battle with Crown Prince Xander and his recovery in the Hoshidan Base Camp, his previous clothes were ruined… and in light of the Wolfskin tradition, he has been given a basic set of Hoshidan clothing.

He might have ripped some parts off.

Regardless, like last time, he also has his Beast... **rune**  on him. While yes, at first it may seem unfair that one has to discard his weapon while the other keeps his… one thing that the spectators have to keep in mind is that Wolfskin and Kitsune need their shifting stones at all times, or else they risk going ‘feral’... forever unable becoming unable to control themselves. It as that point, and only that point will it ever be acceptable to call a Wolfskin a ‘wolf’ or a Kitsune a ‘fox’.

Still, a Wolfskin and Kitsune can draw from their Beaststones, or in this case his Beastrune, in their ‘human’ forms.

Which is something Keaton is struggling not to do, as it would make this ‘spar’ unfair… and while he won’t openly admit it, Keaton holds Red in incredibly high regard. The Wolfsegger would have never thought a pure-blooded human could stand up to him as he did last time.

His tail starts wagging as he licks his lips.

Oh yes, he really wants this spar to happen.

“Same rules as last time, Keaton.” Red announces, “Except that we are not going as far.”

“...better not hold back, Red.” Keaton smiles, “and you better last, too.” He lowers himself, “I’m far beyond what I was last time.”

He smirks, “As am I, and believe me, I’ve no intention of holding back!” He takes the same unarmed stance as last time, “You will find me a much greater challenge than last time!” He takes a breath, “I’m ready, Keaton.”

“Heh… we’ll see, Red.” The friendly air leaves as the two focus on each other. Right now, they are rivals, not friends… er, not that they were actually ‘friends’ to begin with.

Red inches closer, but doesn’t actually charge, Keaton remains still, his eyes locked onto every single twitch in the other’s muscles… yes, his eyesight is even sharp enough to see how the covered parts of his arms ‘domino’ over to the exposed parts. So, when Red finally decided to take the initiative, Keaton reacted quicker than anyone else ever could have… except maybe, just  **maybe**  Kaden.

But the Wolfsegger isn’t about to praise the Nine-tails out loud.

Keaton dodges the incredibly aggressive first strike, perhaps Red thought to confuse Keaton with a distinct change in ‘tactic’? Regardless, he returns the blow with one of his own, only to be surprised when he weaves around it with little issue. “...” Red follows up with another, but it barely even fazes Keaton when it lands.

Yet, he also has the distinct feeling Red didn’t give that punch his all. It’s a courtesy Keaton did  **not**  return as his next one… was evaded? For the second time, Red manages to evade Keaton’s attack by mere inches. Keaton growls as Red lands his second, though the alpha just barely feels it this time.

Oh, he  **has**  improved a lot.

“It seems you underestimated me…” Red smirks.

“Perhaps I had.” Keaton’s tail wags once more… if this human was born Wolfskin, he has a feeling he’d make for one of the best alphas. “Hmm…”

“Keaton?” Red asks after noticing that his sparring partner is in a more… distracted state.

“Heh, nothing.” He lets out a quick chuckle, “Just a passing thought.” And it’s one he’s going to follow through with, “Ready.”

Red shrugs it off, “Alright.” This time, Keaton starts it off, quickly closing the distance and slashing… only to feint it and instead kick Red. It was enough to catch the human off guard as he took the brunt of Keaton’s foot to his side, yet before Keaton could follow up, the man recovered and slammed his own knee into Keaton’s stomach.

“Ngh…” Due to the armor on him, it was strong enough to knock the wind out of the Wolfsegger. Red quickly slams Keaton with an intense right hook, yet he manages to grab the third hit… before spitting up some blood. “I’m impressed…” He grabs the hand tighter as Keaton’s blood pulses just that much faster.

Oh, he’s having fun now. It’s almost like he’s playing rough and fast with one of the pack.

“And there will be many more of those moments… alpha.” Instead of trying to pull his fist back, Red instead uses Keaton’s own grip against him… by hopping up shortly and kicking him with both of his feet. Keaton lets go as he stumbles back, causing Red to hit the ground stomach-first. And once more, Red gets up before Keaton can properly land a hit. So, so fast. He may not be Kitsune or Nine-tails level, but Red is certainly far beyond what Keaton can do in his unshifted form.

By now, Keaton has already spat up some blood and feels a slight ache in his midsection… while the only thing Red has to show off is some slightly dented armor on his side and a somewhat crumpled right gauntlet. “...It’s a shame we aren’t going as far as last time.” He huffs, “I want more, I want to push you further…”

Then of all things, Red laughs, “Once this war is over… we will have that kind of fight again. Where the only ‘yield’ is a complete inability to fight back.”

“I like the sound of that…”

“I know… your tail is wagging.” Red smiles, before the seriousness comes back once more. Keaton simply huffs, he’ll let the ‘tail’ comment slide… this time. “But we aren’t done yet!  **Fight me!** ” Once more, Red starts the charge, though this time Keaton matches him and the two slam into each other, one hand in the other’s grip. Keaton growls, Red grunts. The Wolfsegger moves to outright overpower the other by lifting him up and slamming him onto the ground, and he did manage to do that…

Until Red was overhead and he kicked Keaton on his head with enough force to cause Keaton to howl out in pain as he dropped the man. Red rolled off of Keaton and immediately went for another strike, before Keaton went to… “ **Alpha** !” Dadaan shouts, causing the two to halt… but for different reasons. Red stopped because he actually saw what was about to happen, so he backed off, as for Keaton? It wasn’t until Dadaan shouted that he noticed his own Beastrune was glowing intensely.

…

Red pushed him so far that he was ready to shift. So, in light of that… “I yield.” Keaton quietly mutters as he feels his own pride drop. A  **human**  almost caused him to shift… how? “I can’t keep going, not without shifting through instinct.” A short pause.

“...Very well.” Red nods. “I can’t help but note your…?” He looks him over, “Disappointment?”

“Close enough.” Keaton shrugs it off as he approaches the man, as he has one more thing to get across before they recover. “I want to talk.” Without waiting for a response, he resumes walking. Red sighs, but follows the Wolfskin alpha anyway.

* * *

Lupus groans as the clanging and banging returns… though this time she doesn’t smell the familiar scents of Lilith or A Lord Casander, but she does at least somewhat recognize this one. “I have Royal orders… move.” Wait, that youthful voice… Nycas? And sure enough, the small girl walks into Lupus’s cell, completely unbothered by the half-dragon. “Princess Corrin… Lupus… whatever name you go by.” She has this cloth over her lower half of her face, but it is see-through…

So, what’s the point of it? “Ny...cas.”

“Nyx.”

“Nycas.” A short pause, “Cs, cs… cs, sc… Nycas.”

“Ah, you can’t pronounce the letter ‘X’.” She nods, more to herself. “Not my concern, nor are names.” She boldly walks closer as her hands are glowing with some purple magic, “I care not of ‘who’ you are…” A few muttered words later and Lupus feels an extra set of… binds? She’s already shackled! “That should negate whatever magic you can bring up. But, there’s one more precaution I must take…” Her hands glow again, but this time it’s almost… familiar? “Copf, dupveop.” A  **third**  set of binds, but…

There’s a sudden disconnect. The world around Lupus seems to become a little less clear, less refined. “Wh…?” Silence, no, not the sounds around her, but the sounds  **in**  her. Whatever roaring that was there is just…

Gone.

“Aw, what’s the matter? Do you not recognize your own kind’s magic?” Nycas taunts. “It’s a simple spell, honestly. Now you’re physically shackled…” She gestures towards the reinforced steel binds, “Magically silenced…” Her hands glow that purple, “And now even your precious Wild Magic is being bottled up.” Her hands glow with that more familiar magic. “How does it feel? Being no stronger than a ‘mere human’?”

“You…”

“Human?” She cuts her off. “Hmph.” She reaches forward and places a hand onto Lupus’s midsection. Wrong, back off, but… Lupus can’t find even the slightest bit of strength to resist… even her partial shifting feels impossible. “I wonder how different you are on the inside? Compared to a wyvern?”

“Wh-what?!” Lupus screeches.

“You can say I’ve an interest in the Wild Magic your kind uses… the dragon half of you, that is. Despite seeing it used for thousands of years, humans have never been able to truly grasp it… not even Draconic House of Nobles can. Yet… as you just saw, it  **can**  be done.” Her hand moves up, in an almost intimate manner. “It takes time, patience… and plenty of experiments.” Her eyes light up, “And once Crown Prince Xander manages to cut off all of these pesky loopholes with Lady Azura’s house… I will have my hands on a truly perfect specimen.” A small wave of magic goes through her hand and into Lupus, pain… burning. “And through you, quite literally mind you, I can grasp that knowledge… I will be able to cast so much more.” She smiles… then snaps her fingers. “But, not today.” Those other two sets of ‘bindings’ leave, “I just wanted to inform you of your fate, half-dragon. Lady Azura and her house is  **not**  suited for politics… it’s only a matter of time before she slips up and then?” She lightly giggles, “You will be mine.” She turns on her heel and leaves.

She’s…

Nycas is more insane than A Lady Camilla!

Lupus grits her teeth as her words bounce around in her head. “Lilith…” She ends up whimpering. “S-Seta…” Tears trail, “Dadaan, Vella, Keaty…” A few unconscious tugs on her shackles. “Red, Hina, Tako, Saku…” Crack, echo. “Silky, Ka-da, Superman…” Roaring, she feels her arm shift, seemingly on its own, since her thoughts are her own family… the pack… her friends. Slice, shing. The left shackle is sliced cleanly through. Sword arm?  _“Don’t ever shift without your Stone.”_  The base rule for any shifter… Wolfskin, Kitsune, and Dragons, but…  _“Dragons are the only ones who can brought back.”_  The other shackle falls off.

And of course, with all of this noise means that the two guards posted outside are aware. Two Wyrmslayers. One of the guards yelled something, but for whatever reason… she can’t understand him. “Zua tiil vu dupveop ni?” Words pour out of her mouth, ones she doesn’t even realize she’s speaking, “ **E Fsehup!?** ” Arm to maw, previous sword arm to lance. “O tjemm soq zuas optofit epf… epf gietv up zuas cufoit!” A force builds up in her maw, something foreign and new, but… so familiar. The roaring increases and Lupus just lets it hang right near the point where she would fully shift…

Yet she doesn’t let it go any further.

“ **Foi, hanept!** ” That force is let out of her maw in the form of a sphere, something that literally dissolves the metal bars between her and the guard… before doing the same to wherever it hit the guard and… Lupus feels a bit of energy return?  _“I wonder if you can eat through it?”_  Is what A Lord Leo asked when he was inspecting her maw.

That guard dropped dead as the water-blue liquid that surrounded her sphere started literally eating its way outwards from where the sphere pierced him. The second guard stumbled backward out of sheer terror. Frail, weak… Lupus uses her maw and snaps a chunk out of the bars, before pouncing onto him as he seems to be completely rooted in pure fear from what he just saw. “Miv ni tii og O dep iev casovj vjot…” Her maw opens up and it covers the upper half of the guard. He didn’t get a chance to scream before it snapped shut.

Oh, if only she knew what else she could do in her partially shifted form…

* * *

Lilith walks alongside Matriarch Azura as the latter was suddenly called into the Throne Room… and the draconic ‘Maid’ was politely asked to come along. Lilith quickly agreed, with Azura’s bloodline being the only one who can be  **trusted** . She glances behind her to see not just the weak-hearted wyvern, but also a second wyvern who just… lives at the Draconic House. “Matriarch Azura?” Due to the non-confidential nature of her upcoming question, Lilith forgoes speaking in Draconic. “Just how many wyverns live with you?”

“...Five, I believe?” She sheepishly smiles, “It’s hard to tell, they are still wyverns after all, so I can’t simply group them together when it’s time to eat. And of course, that isn’t counting the ones that my mother takes care of.”

“You do have other family, right? I’m sure I don’t need to remind you about yours being the only bloodline that we trust.”

Matriarch Azura hesitates, “Emupi?” Lilith takes a moment to focus on her senses and she nods. “There are actually far more of my family, but we’re scattered throughout. I have some relatives who farm, some live in Crynkesia and I believe I have one cousin all the way over in Hoshido.”

“But… if they aren’t with the rest…”

“Politics are as dangerous as any war, it’s a precaution we have to take. Besides, it allows us to set up ‘safe houses’ for you and yours.”

Lilith nods, “Okay, I understand now.”

“Have you not ever been to one?” She tilts her head, “I’d be surprised… considering how long you lived and how much you done, Zimipe.” A knowing smile crosses her face.

And she raises an eyebrow in response, “Just because I’ve traveled and used many different names for all kinds of jobs and places to live, doesn’t mean I know it all. There  **was**  that three century nap, and I’m not always willing to go to a new place. Crynkesia, Windmire, and Shirasagi have been called a home several dozens of times over.”

“Ah, understandable.” A short pause, “You’ve met my great-grandmother, correct?”

“I did… and you look almost exactly like her.”

“Truly? How about behavior or…?” Unfortunately, before Lilith could give a proper response, they had arrived. “Maybe later, then.”

The two guards at the door glance at Matriarch Azura’s companions. “King Garon asked specifically for Lady Azura.”

Azura directs her attention to the two wyverns, “Zua xomm piif vu xeov uavtofi.” A short pause before the two let out their own screeches. “The wyverns will remain outside… Lilith?”

“As much as I’d rather remain by your side… if you do not wish for me to join…” Lilith trails off.

“I require her presence.” She finally replies. “Please, let us in.” The two guards share a look, but otherwise comply. The doors are opened and both Azura and Lilith enter. Inside resides King Garon and a number of guards sprinkled throughout… but that’s it. “Your Highness.” She bows… and Lilith follows suit.

“Lady Azura and… that Maid that is assigned to Princess Corrin.” He gruffly regards them. “Bah… Lady Azura, I brought you in for a matter that demands your House’s attention.”

For a moment, Lilith sighs in relief, “Am I to take care of Princess Corrin?”

Any positivity was removed with a scowl from the King. “No.” He stands from his throne, “I have received a number of reports from all across Nohr. My villages, my towns, my border forts are all being assaulted.” He walks forward, “Each and every single one was slaughtered by a person that looks strikingly similar to Princess Corrin’s… ‘partial-shifted’ form.”

Lilith keeps herself from nodding… so, Lupus’s draconic parent  **is**  her mother, then. “Then, there are more. I understand, your Highness.”

“Do you? Because if you truly did, I would have thought you would be mortified to hear this.” He stops as he stands tall. “Was part of your claim to protect Princess Corrin in that she  **was**  one of a kind?”

“I understand your meaning, but she is still half-dragon. If this argument were to be taken as is, then I would have no right to protect any wyvern… as numerous as they are.” Lilith looks between the two.

“My intention is to inform you that there are half- **dragons**  assaulting  **my kingdom!**  Do you understand those implications!?” Yet, he doesn’t let her respond, “If you wish for  **them**  to remain alive, then you’ll do your hardest to make peace with them!”

Azura opens her mouth and… “ **Ahhhh** !” Screams echo through the halls. “We need more guards! Wyrmslayers!  **Help** !” Wait… Wyrmslayers?

Azura walks towards the door first, with Lilith close behind. “...Matriarch?” She whispers as they approach the door, “It’s… that’s Lupus’s scent.” Did she break out?!

“We need to move. I need to get to her!” She pushes on the door… nothing. “Your highness, I need to get to her!”

“...let Lady Azura leave.” The doors open and she slips through… leaving Lilith behind. “As for you, Lilith.” And now he walks closer to her. “And now  **we**  need to talk, Lilith…”

Lilith manages to keep a straight face as she nods, “Yes, King Garon?”

He smirks, “Or would you rather be called Yelena?”

* * *

By the time Vella had collapsed from exhaustion, she had been chasing Selkie for the better part of eight hours. However, that still wasn’t enough for her, so with a huff, the bitch pushes herself back up off the ground and glares at the vixen. “Ooo ooo, ready to go again?! Oh, this is sooooo much fun!” She’s in her, ugh, Nine-tails form. On top of that, she somehow got access to a Beast **rune** !

Vella should have reached Wolfsegger  **first** ! She should be the one with a Beastrune! “When… when I catch you…”

“Yeeeeees?” Her nine tails start wagging.

“I’m gonna…” She falls back down. “Rest for a bit, actually.”

“Aw… but I’m not ready to stop yet! C’mon, get back up, chase me. Chase me!” Selkie pouts. “Vella? Vella! Yoo-hoo…” She cautiously approaches the downed Wolfskin, just in case it’s a fake move. “...thank you, Vella.” She sincerely states, “I really enjoyed myself and it was so much fun to be able to be chased for so long and I hope we can do it again even if I made you really super mad about what I said but just know that I would never actually do what I said I was going to do because I understand how much Lu-pu means to you and I wouldn’t want to have you sad and angry all the time because even though you are a Wolfskin and I am a Kitsune doesn’t mean that we can’t be friends and I just want everyone to be happy and be able to play and have fun and…”

“Vixen...” Vella growls. “Shut. Up.”

“Oh, yay! You  **are**  awake!”

“You can wake up the dead with how much you can talk.” Vella looks up and at Silky. “But… you meant it.” A heavy pause.

“Well, duh.” Silky nods, “I care for your health, Vella… and it wouldn’t be good if you ran off on us. We all understand Lu-pu needs help, but running off and trying to save her on your own won’t help.” Silky boldly unshifts and sits down just a few inches from Vella, then pulls her legs up to her chest. “It’s gotten really lonely, y’know? After losing the hamlet.”

“We were…”

“Not that one.” Silky cuts her off, “The first one, the one Ka-da lead. There were all of these Kitsunes who were all happy and ready to play and… they were all killed.” Her tail stops swishing around, “I wanna be friends, Vella.” A short pause, “Lu-pu said you give the best hugs… y’know?”

“She did?” Vella tilts her head, “She never told me that.”

Silky clears her throat, “‘Vella gives the best, strongest, tightest hugs I could ever want. And it only gets better when she buries her nose into me to start sniffing… I miss her so much’.”

“When? When did she say that!?” Vella rises, desperate.

“At some point over near Shirasagi. I think it was after her awesome playfight with Ka-da. We were just kinda… relaxing.” A short pause, “I wanna save her too. I miss her playfulness, her laughter. She’s great to have around.” Silky glances at Vella, “But I also don’t want to take her away from you. Vella? Can we be friends?”

“Do you really think you can just…”

“No, I don’t think I can, but I want to try anyway. Vella, you’re really awesome and fun. I haven’t had as much fun as I did today than in a really long time… like, before all the Kitsunes had to start play fast and rough all the time.”

Vella deflates a bit, “Yeah, I miss that too… all that playtime before we had to start doing it rough and fast all the time.” And now she goes into a normal sitting position. “Hey, Vix… er, Silky? I… had fun, too. As much as you really made me angry, I… had fun.”

“Really?! Yaaaay~! Does that mean we can do this again? But, just without the insults and bad talking?” A short pause.

“Yeah, we can.” Vella nods. “And when I catch you…” She smiles.

Silky’s tail starts wagging, “Whaddya gonna do?”

“I’m gonna pin you down and start sniffing you.”

“And give ‘the best hug’?”

“Don’t push it.” Despite that, Vella is still in a good mood.

Silky giggles, “Alright. So, how about… we get something to eat? I’m like, hungry enough to eat a stallion! I think? I think that’s what the humans say.” She shrugs. “Eh, who cares about that. I want food.” Without waiting for the other, Silky runs off back towards the Base Camp, with Vella following soon after.

* * *

Seta lets out a sigh as she, once more, fails to land a bulls-eye. While it has been a slow change, her attention has been wavering. Most of it is centered around Lupus. The last time she talked to Lupus was when she had to drive Seta and Kagero away due to the alpha’s orders... then she could only see her during the challenge between Red and Keaty. And now?

Now she’s in Krakenburg, stolen… abduction. Lupus has been stolen and she has a chunk of Seta’s heart with her… figuratively speaking of course. Nothing has ever hurt as much as things do now. She frowns as she knocks the next arrow, but then lowers her yumi. “Hm…” She hums as she just stands there. “Lupus…” She looks at her yumi, then decides to put it back with the other training ones. No, she can’t just put it down, she needs to keep training she needs…

She needs Lupus.

“Setsuna?” A pause as Kagero comes into her view. “You aren’t well, are you?”

“Hey, Kagero…” She barely acknowledges the other.

Kagero briefly closes her eyes, “We’ll get her back, Setsuna.” She reaches out, “We all want her to come back.”

“I love her, Kagero. I’ve never hurt like I hurt now.” Tears start to speckle down her face. “Why does it have hurt so much? I… I want her back, Kagero. I  **need**  her back and, and… gods.” Her body starts trembling.

“Setsuna? Gods… what’s wrong?!” And now Hina is approaching her.

“Oh… h-hello, Hina.” Now in the presence of her liege, Seta is doing all she can to keep her composure together. “How… how are you doing?”

Hina pulls a straight face, “Setsuna… just, be honest. I’ve noticed your performance dropping.”

“I miss her, Hina… I want…”

“I know. Setsuna, I know that exact feeling you’re having right now. That’s the same feeling I had when word came back that she was abducted during the ‘peace meeting’.” She places a hand on her shoulder, “Now, what I want to ask you is this… which way are you going to take that feeling? Are you going to succumb to the sorrow until you fall? Lock yourself away?” Hina puffs her chest, “Or are you going to turn that hurt into determination? A will to be the single best person you can be?” She smiles, “Because you should know which one I chose.” That’s right, Hina  **is**  the single most determined fighter… all it takes is one look in her eyes to know that there is a sort of… flame dancing behind them.

And that is what Seta is seeing in her eyes right now. Seta looks over to the training yumis and, “I’m going to resume training… thank you, Hina.”

“Heh, no problem.” Then a thought seem to pass her mind, “Actually, would you mind if joined?”

“Suuuuure, that would make me happy.” Once more, and at last, she smiles a lazy smile. “Let’s go train.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun, dun, duuuun. The rematch between Ryoma and Keaton… ended earlier than anticipated? It seems Ryoma put in enough training, in more than just speed and strength, to almost cause Keaton to shift, which would be ‘breaking the rules’. Remember that it would be a serious problem if any shifter fought without their respective Stone, so Keaton does need his on him. Still though, Ryoma almost made Keaton shift… whew. So… what could Keaton actually want to ‘talk’ to Ryoma about?
> 
> Oh man, speaking of wanting talks… Nyx. Once again, she cuts straight to the point. Well, now you got a taste of what her characters is revolving around now. It’s no longer about the ‘heinous’ spell she casted that caused her to get stuck in a younger body, but rather… research on the ‘Wild Magic’ that only Dragons are supposed to have access to. So… maybe her youthful body is instead a result of inhumanely testing Wyverns and… maybe some dragons?
> 
> Er, basically ‘Wild Magic’ is the Dragon version of a Nine-tails ‘Foxfire’.
> 
> Ah, a scene with Lilith and Azura with some nice background information. First off… Azura doesn’t even know how many wyverns live in her House? Well then, there are at the very least five of them. Now then, family. Ah-ha! So there are more relatives, they’re just spread throughout Nohr… and Hoshido! Surely that’s understandable, right? It wouldn’t be right to have only one ‘safe house’ within human settlements across the entire world. Alright, beyond that, there is the conversation with Garon… that has been cut short, twice. Once because of the fear with Lupus getting out, the second as a cliffhanger on whatever Garon is going to say to Lilith.
> 
> Oh, Velouria… it’s good to see you out and about again. It seems as if Selkie quickly made her way into your life, huh? All you really needed was one good… eight hours?! Geez, almost eight hours of almost continuous running and… Selkie still wasn’t done? Makes me think Selkie is the one with problems here. Well, compared to Keaton and Kaden… Velouria and Selkie got along much more smoothly and in less time. It helps that they aren’t both males… and aren’t alphas. Huh, guess that means that female beastfolk will have a higher chance of not clawing the other out on sight.
> 
> Bah, males and their need for dominance, am I right?
> 
> Lastly is a very short bit with Setsuna. I really wanted to do her for a while, but I just can’t really think of anything… so, yeah. Hopefully she’ll get a bigger spotlight later!


	57. Dunnup Duasvitz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems like every time I turn around there are more new lore additions that sound very nice to add. Oh and yes, the chapter name is in Draconic.
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

 

He growls as he stomps down another human beneath his clawed foot, the human next to that one is quickly scrambling back, only to be stopped by the youngest of the sisters, who cleanly stabs him with a lance arm. Another village… nothing. Nothing on the sibling who was raised by humans. “Xiel.” He kicks the one with crushed ribs away from him. He then clenches his hand, “Xjisi ot tji?!” She couldn’t have been killed, no that’s wrong… the humans who raised her probably just kept her for a source of reagents, tools… a fattened pig. The sister looks at him, but otherwise stays silent.

Then a thud echoes out as the other brother lands in his dragon form, before shifting back into his human form. “Pixt.” Unlike the eldest of the brood, the ‘middle’ brother is speaking calmly. “O xet teof vu ci moli epuvjis.” He shifts his body into the combination of head armor, a maw for one arm, and a lance for another. “Moli vjot… ginemi.”

Slightly unconvinced, the eldest brother tilts his head towards the youngest sister, “Notvelop?”

Yet the brother shakes his head, “Tji fofp’t tqiel Fsehupod.”

At that, his eyes light up, “Xjisi?!” The middle brother frowns and shrugs… so, he doesn’t know where. The eldest sighs, “Qisjeqt vji imfitv totvis’t nivjuf jet huvvip nusi fiveomt.”

“Ztisepzy…” The youngest sister finally speaks, a soft gentle voice when compared to the rest. “O xepv vu jumf Ztisepzy op… op nz esnt.” She chokes on a sob. When compared to the rest of the brood, she seems to have gotten the most ‘human’ influence. “ **O xepv Ztisepzy cedl** !” The rest startle at her outburst, she tends to be quiet, soft-spoken… not shy by any means, it’s just she sounds like she’s whispering instead of talking. She looks down at the human she stabbed… then slams her foot on him, and again, and again, her Dragonstone slowly glowing just a bit brighter until she lets out a roar and…

“Tvuq.” The eldest brother harshly regards her. Tears streak down her cheeks, but she nods and takes a breath, alongside a whimper. He then lets out another sigh, “Tqrief uav… xi’mm niiv mevis.” Without a second’s hesitation, the eldest brother and middle brother takes their leave in their own directions, yet the youngest sister remains still for a few moments, looking over the newest sea of blood and corpses with a sorrowful look. She doesn’t like this, she’d rather take the eldest sister’s approach of disguising herself as a human to get information, rather than going around and slaughtering humans until they find someone who will talk.

“O katv xepv q-qiedi!” She cries out-loud…

And as she did, a group of humans approach her. “G-gods, are you okay?!” The one she assumes to be the leader quickly dismounts off of his horse and runs towards her. See, unlike most of her other siblings, she and the eldest sister are the ones who tend to stay in their human forms, so to this man right now? He probably just sees a bloodied young woman… left alone in a field of blood and corpses. “Healer, healer!” His kind eyes look her over, “Gods, you must be terrified…” He grabs a cloth from inside of his black armor and starts patting her face. “Shh, we got you, alright? I swear that we’ll protect you.” He pats her cheek, “What’s your name, ma’am?”

Which puts her in a delicate position… her knowledge of the human’s language is a one-way path, she can understand it, but she can’t speak it. As such, she only speaks Draconic, and doing that would place a label ‘kill her’ on her body. So instead, she opens her mouth as if to speak, but then shakes her head. “Sir Silas, she hasn’t been harmed… so this is other people’s blood.”

Which causes ‘Silas’ to look at her with even more compassion and sorrow, “Gods, she probably saw her relatives die, then…” He places a hand on her shoulder, “You can understand me, right? I know how the more…” She nods, “Can you talk?” She shakes her head. “Interesting…” She places a hand on her throat and squeezes a bit. “Then… your throat is… tightened? I don’t understand.” He tilts his head. Thinking on the spot, she then claps her hands, then points at him. “You want me to clap my hands? Okay…” He does so. She then imitates it, but stops before it would actually make sound.

“Sir, I think she’s trying to imply that she is a mute. She was born that way.” The healer supplies… and the half-dragon quickly nods as she points at him. “I’m afraid that’s something that can’t be healed with magic.”

“My condolences on your illness, ma’am.” He nods once, “Would you mind coming with us? We’ll never know when  **they**  will attack again.” She nods and holds out her hand, to which he gently grabs, “Good, at least that’s one survivor.”

“Bah, I’d be more suspicious, sir Silas.  **Why**  is she the only one alive?” One of the soldiers glares at her.

“The Dusk Dragon watched over her, that’s why. She’s alive, that means there’s someone who was able to be saved. Besides… that means she is a first-hand witness… even if she can’t talk. We could… have her draw or something else to get information.” He turns to her, “But not before you recover. I will  **not**  have anyone harming you or pushing you in any possible way, on my honor as a knight.” He then helps her up into his horse’s saddle, “And a more formal introduction… my name is Silas, I am a Paladin for the Nohrian army. This is my squad, we’re out to make rounds on protecting these lands.” He then gets into the saddle, “Hold on tight, we’ve a long way to travel.” He clears his throat, “Let’s move out!” She smiles as she wraps her arms around him, because there is one scent that she is very thankful for… honesty. He’s a human who genuinely cares.

She likes Silas.

* * *

By the time Lupus regains awareness, she’s in a cell, except that… this isn’t the cell she was in, her scent isn’t anywhere near here, in fact. That, and the metal bars in the cell are slightly glowing… so they are enchanted. However, this time she isn’t being shackled, though on the other hand, this cell is almost completely lined with enchantments, so…

She looks across from her and sees the form of none other than that insane Dark Mage… Nycas, who simply looks back. Neither of the females speak for a length of time. Instead, Lupus opts to look around again, other than the enchantments, the cell is the same… wait, what did happen, anyway? Oh, right. She partially shifted and sorta ‘ate’ the cell bars and guards with her summoned maw, then… she went on a killing spree until she heard a song…

After that? Nothing.

She raises her arms and looks them over, no longer bloodied… however, there’s a lack of roaring again. What did Nycas call it? ‘Wild Magic’? The thing that lets Lupus shapeshift, the thing that Lilith used to calm her… and the thing that Nycas used to prevent her from shifting. “Are you aware yet?” Nycas finally speaks up.

“Leave me alone.” She bites back.

“Okay.” She starts to walk away, “Then I guess I won’t tell you what’s about to happen…” Curiosity rises, but Lupus manages to keep herself from asking. Nycas actually leaves the area, too…

And a set of footsteps echo in. “Princess Corrin…” Once again, A Lord Casander walks in. “Today is the day.” Lupus notices the usual guards beside him… Wyrmslayers. “You are to fight in the arena.”

Oh, that’s right… that thing. “Sending me in with…”

“Just your, uh, ‘partial shifting’.” He cuts her off. “Father was impressed with your skill and he wishes to see an… uninhibited performance.”

Huh? “What skill?”

“You slaughtered over two platoons worth of soldiers, with two squads of them being the highest trained Royal Guards. Do you not remember?” She… did? Her apparent confusion was enough of an answer for him, “Yes, however a number of them were… actively dissolving. Rather, Nyx described as ‘remotely taking their life essence’... essentially digesting them without actually eating them.”

...That would describe how she remembers the guard next to her acting after he was struck by that sphere of magic that came out of her maw. So, she  **can**  eat with that maw? “Then how about you find out? Come over here and I’ll snap you in half!”

“Primitive beast.” He sighs as the door unlocks and… the magical binds are still there. A Lord Casander almost casually walks in and clasps shackles on her… also glowing with that magic. “Go!” He shoves her out of the cell… still no magic.

“You’re afraid of what I can do…” She glares at A Lord Casander. “Aren’t you?”

“It’s simply safety precautions…”

“Which means you are afraid.”

He glares back, “I’m concerned for the well being of  **my**  people! You. Are. Nothing!”

She snarls, “Then how about  **you**  fight me in that arena?”

He then actually draws that sword, “Have you forgotten that even the combined might of you, Princess Hinoka, and those two Nine-tails was not enough to overcome me?!”

“You aren’t going to lay a finger on my liege, ‘Princess’.” The blonde-hair axe wielder woman stares at her after they exit the dungeons.

“You aren’t worth his time.” The giant of a man adds.

She growls, “You two…”

“Enough!” A Lord Casander raises his voice, “Let’s  **move** !” He pushes Lupus forward as they increase their pace. It barely even took a few minutes for them to reach the new area. Lupus looks past the other set of steel bars and notices a large open area. That must be the ‘arena’. “Keep moving.” She does just that, and as she gets near that gate, it opens.

Huh, for a place designed for combat, there’s a lot of decorations on the walls, though one in particular really stands out, and she doesn’t know why…

Because it’s just another ‘human weapon’, a sword, alright fine… it looks like it is made of gold, which is shiny. “Princess Corrin!” From the upper levels, King Garon calls her out and, and…

“Lilith!” The pure-blooded dragon ‘Maid’ is but a few feet away from him.

“Lilith?” Garon echoes, “Surely you mean Yelena?”

Lilith frowns, “He found me out, Lupus.”

“Leave her alone!” Lupus growls…

Yet all he does is laugh, “Exactly the response I expected…” He stands, “And which is why I’m making this very clear and simple. Win, and she walks free…”

“Matriarch Azura…” Lupus cuts him off.

“Is busy. She is off to try and make peace with the other ‘half-dragons’.” He waves her off, “However, if you manage to not get beaten down and win, she will walk free… at the expense of  **your**  freedom. I will send you to the deepest, darkest, most secure cell, one made specifically for you, from there… Nyx will have full rights to do as she pleases.” Wait, so…

**Winning**  gets Lupus tortured?! “That’s not right! We should both be free!”

“I am the King of Nohr, Princess Corrin. You are a prisoner of war! If you do not accept the conditions, I can simply have you sent down there right now! I can have Yelena executed! I can remove the noble status of the Draconic House! Would you rather have that?!”

A heavy silence follows, then Lupus growls as she tightens her hands into fists, “...Fine.” At least, at least Lilith will be free, right?

The King chuckles, “I thought you would see it my way… release the convicts!”

Hold on, “My shackles are still on!”

Lupus looks forward as a group of five disarmed, raggedly clothed humans runs towards her… she gives the shackles a tug, nothing. She sidesteps an incoming punch, before slamming her shackles on another human, effectively knocking him out… huh. They actually look like they were being starved, an observation that proves true when one of them lands a hit and… nothing. Wait… her ‘automatic’ scales formed? She blinks her eyes, then focuses on the… roaring. The roaring is there! She shifts both of her arms into lances, which makes them narrow enough for the shackles to slide right off.

“ **What** ?!” Garon roars. “Nyx!”

The Dark Mage walks to his side, “It seems the Wild Magic has… evolved? Interesting. The counter-spell was literally working less than an hour ago.”

Lupus shifts one of the lances into her usual maw, before lashing out to snap a ‘convict’ in half… the rest back off. “She’s… a freak!” One of them yells, “Fuck that, she’s our only ticket out of here!” Another charges… then promptly gets skewered by her lance.

“Send in the Faceless!” The who?

A guttural roar follows as three  **massive**  beings shake the ground when they charge in… before heading straight for the convicts and literally snapping their bodies into unnatural positions. Yet, where is her Dragonstone? Does none of these humans have it? She hops back as one of the ‘Faceless’ slam the ground she was just at… a crater exists where at that spot. Oh, these things are strong, then. She gulps as another one of them wildly swings at her, then yelps as the third one lands a hit.

Okay, nowhere near a Wolfsegger… maybe around a Wolfskin? She slices into one of them, weaves around one hit, blocks a second with her one-handed scale shield, lands a second strike of her own, “ **Ah** !” And is thrown aside as one of the Faceless manages to grab her. Not fair… Unlike Wolfskin, these things actually are pretty fast. Lupus slides on the ground as the three are already charging her again. She grits her teeth and snaps at one with her maw, even if it doesn’t completely bite it in half. She then hops back and slices across with her sword leg, finally ending that one Faceless’s... “Ngh!” And she is sent crumpled to the ground from an absurdly quick overhead strike.

“What’s the matter?! These should be  **nothing**  to you!” Garon taunts.

Lupus spits up blood as one of the Faceless picks her up by her hair. Her vision is slightly blurred… but she shoves both of her feet forward in a combined lance, then yanked down… a torrent of sickly black blood splashes out and it  **burns** . She hisses as the dead Faceless loses its grip and she immediately rolls back. It’s like… it was that thing’s digestive fluids! She narrowly avoided the third and final Faceless from slamming her into the ground. Dodge, block, stab, she starts to weaken this last Faceless.

“Send in the next set!”

…

What?! “Where’s my Dragonstone!?” She screams as she strikes that Faceless down… only to see a half dozen soldiers charging her.

“Bah, one of them has it… maybe.” He laughs, “I want to see the side of you that killed two platoons!”

“...It’s probably because she’s still very aware, your Highness.” Nycas states, “I believe her human side is holding her back.”

“Then push her until she snaps! More!” On top of the half dozen soldiers, the gates open for a…

A  **Wolfskin** ?! However, Lupus can tell with a single glance that this Wolfskin is feral. No sign of a Beaststone and there’s a savage look in… his eyes. Of course it has to be a male. “If you’re truly aware of her strength, then it is foolish to unleash the dragon.” Lilith speaks up as she takes a breath and… “Maqat!” She throws her own Dragonstone into the arena.

“How dare you interfere!” Garon roars. “Perhaps you shouldn’t be spared!”

Lupus dashes towards the stone, while slamming the side of some human. Oh, sweet sweet Dragonstone… She clutches it tightly and, for once, wills a complete shift. The world gets just a bit smaller as she roars. While the humans hesitate, the Wolfskin charges, his musk filling the air…

That Wolfskin isn’t fighting to kill her…

She easily dodges the first hit from the Wolfskin, as he is slower than the Faceless were. She counters with a quick claw swipe. He grunts, but otherwise shrugs it off. He then goes for another slam, which Lupus avoids yet again, except that this time it meant going straight into a flanking sword strike from one of the humans. She growls as she bats the human away with her tail, not wanting to divert her attention from the Wolfskin.

She isn’t about to become some feral’s mate.

Lupus rears her head and slices into the Wolfskin with her horns, he howls out in pain, but also manages to grab her, by her neck of all places. Oh… that’s not good. She immediately resorts to kicking… if she could actually make the distance. Alright then, the pressure… she focuses on that pressure that let her unleash the water stream on that archer. Though in that time, the Wolfskin had slammed her onto the ground.

Oh and  **now**  the humans keep their distance!

She closes the gap between her hind legs and readies the stream again. The second he touched her leg was the second he just earned a hole in his much thicker neck. Lupus greedily breathes for air as the choke-hold ends. He was feral, it’s fine… it would have been a bigger danger to the beastfolk if he was left alive.

Then a clean slice to her side distinctly reminded her that this isn’t the time to think things over.

Lupus growls as she rolls over and stands once more. She stomps the ground and charges for the closest human, who dodges several swipes. Another steps in from the side, but was also caught unaware by her tail. Just a few more…

She shifts back to her human form and readies her usual set-up. “Arcthunder!” Quickly reacting to the spell, she opens her maw and ‘bites’ the thunder ball in mid-air. No harm done to her and now her maw is crackling with electricity. So, it’s basically an anti-magic maw? When she gets out of this, she’ll thank A Lord Leo for bringing it up. Lupus snaps at the nearby human and sure enough… a wave of electricity is sent out alongside it. It ends up shocking him to the point where his muscles lock up, leaving him as easy prey. Snap, close, rip… the watery-liquid quickly dissolves whatever was in her maw, causing the body to become liquified in mere seconds. Alongside all of that, she also can feel some energy return and a few wounds closing.

Oh, that’s nice.

“Arcthunder!” That human foolishly tries again as another ball of thunder makes its way into Lupus’s seemingly ‘bottomless’ maw. Perhaps that’s the only tome he has on him? And he’s no good for anything else? It’s an assumption that proves true as he tries a  **third**  time. However, by now something else ‘clicked’ in Lupus.

“Wild Thunder…” She opens her maw and a stream of electricity is sent back at him. Most of it simply shocks the man to death, though a good portion of it seems to go out of control as it starts bouncing around the arena.

“I got you!” Lupus glances upward as several bolts almost end up hitting the King, if it weren’t for a barrier from Nycas. Looking slightly to the side, she can spot a smile from Lilith.

“ **Enough** !” Garon roars. “I’ve seen enough for today! Get that Dragonstone out of her hands and…” Lupus throws said stone towards Lilith.

“I expect an actual challenge next time, human.” Lupus spits out an ironic statement…

Considering she ended up passing out.

* * *

Matriarch Azura rides atop her horse, as three of the Wyverns in her care are in various spots near her, with the weak-hearted wyvern trotting right beside her. ‘Peace’ negotiations… King Garon fails to understand how the relationship between her bloodline and the draconic beings are. It isn’t just a… a ‘thing’ where she can simply ask and get. That’s  **not**  what this trust is built on.

Generations of just simply giving, never asking. Sure, she might ask one of the wyverns under her care to wait outside or to move out of the way some, but she would never demand peace from them. What is she to offer them? That’s the problem that King Garon just can’t grasp, this isn’t one of the villages in which he can bring an army of soldiers and demand action. No, this isn’t a task she can do. Instead, she will ask why they are attacking and work from there.

The irony of all this is that she knows the half-dragons will be more reasonable than King Garon.

She looks to each of the wyverns, and then her horse, before looking straight ahead once more. She purposely took an off-road path that straddles the line between the plains and the mountains. All of the locations attacked so far were ones that were relatively close to higher ground. She ends up humming a tune as she guides her horse along, something the wyverns appreciate.

And maybe all it really took was her voice, since within ten minutes, the wyverns tensed up, the horse neighed, and a figure slams into the ground. Now, Azura might not have seen Lupus’s partially shifted form first hand, but she can imagine it being something similar to the man ahead of her. A human body, but covered in scales, an armored helmet, the ‘lance and maw’ combo, and clawed feet. She smiles, “Jimmu, O en Nevsoesdj Ebase.” She slowly dismounts and offers a quick bow.

He approaches as the lance and maw fade away to normal arms, she remains unflinching as he stands mere inches from her… then sniffs her. “O lpux vjev tdipv ug cmuuf.” He tilts his head. “Fsehup-jiesv.”

Azura smiles, “O en… xjev ot zuas peni?”

He puffs his chest as he stands at his full height, “O en Pimtvsetbe.”

She nods… well, dragons aren’t for small talk, so now that she has a name to work with, “Pimtvsetbe, O’wi jiesf ug nepz lommif janept. Fu zu…”

He snarls, “ **Janept xomm qez** ! Vjiz xomm veli pu nusi!”

A close loss, then? Family? “Pimtvsetbe… xjev jeqqipif?”

He growls and for a moment, she actually thought he was going to attack… but then he relaxes himself. “Janept… janept lommif nuvjis. Atif jis.”

She visibly cringes… and by ‘use’ she is assuming they harvested whatever they could get out of their mother. “Cav vjip… xjz hu tu ges?” It  **is**  truly terrible, but what normally happens is the hamlet, pack, or brood move on, so… could the need for revenge be a part of their human side? It does seem strange, considering how ‘draconic’ this ‘human’ is…

Just as Nyx said, this one is lacking in any visual indication of either gender, all Azura can go on is by the voice. Nudity means nothing. “Xi piif vu gopf nottoph totvis.”

Well, that’s a change, so the brood isn’t just fighting for revenge, but also missing a relative? “O dep ettotv… xjev ot jis peni?”

He nods, “Ztisepzy.”

“Ztisepzy?” She echoes. “Wisz ximm.” She then takes a breath, “Og O nez etl…”

He cuts her off with an intense growl, “Zua xomm puv etl gus  **epzvjoph**  apvom zua jewi tidasif Ztisepzy’t tegivz!”

She takes his retort calmly, then adds, “Tocmopht muul tonomes… tu og O nez tii zuas janep gusn…”

Pimtvsetbe sighs, then nods, “O apfistepf.” With that, he relaxes his body further and the scales, helmet, and clawed feet all vanish… leaving him as a human and...

She firmly nods, “Vjeplt zua, Pimtvsetbe.” She moves to return to her horse as Pimtvsetbe, Nelstrasza, returns to the mountains. So… a missing half-dragon sister? If Azura were to make any assumptions on just who ‘Ztisepzy’, Yseranyx, actually is… she’d immediately guess Lupus. Azura is simply getting a similar vibe with him… despite the hostility and… No, it  **is**  the same. It’s just, that’s not how Lupus acts when she’s ‘human’, but yesterday? When she cleaved through two platoons? Azura can see a direct resemblance. On top of that, his human form almost matches Lupus’s… those fierce red eyes, his teeth still looked sharp, though she couldn’t see his ears, the only real difference was that instead of the long white hair Lupus has, Nelstrasza’s hair flows in a fiery red… no, not fiery. More like a bloodied river.

For all she knows, his hair just might be permanently stained with blood, especially taking his distinct hatred for humans into account.

She shakes her head as she guides her horse along, first she needs to report to the King… and she knows he won’t be happy with the results. However, he is going to have to learn, even Azura’s bloodline cannot simply demand something happen, something needs to be done in return. And for this specific brood? It’s the return of a lost sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooo… and another section dedicated to the mystery brood of half-dragons! This time y’all got to see a total of three in the same area… and it looks like they aren’t all just blood-thirsty murderers, either, as only the eldest brother seems to have that quirk. The middle brother is calmer, while the youngest sister is… oh, of course she’d be the one who wants peace. Lastly, the youngest brother is *not actually saying it, but it can be found in the first scene with the half-dragons* and the eldest sister is *also blocked, but her status is located in this scene’s dialogue*. Though, I think the youngest sister also played a good act of a mute, right? What a way to slip into the human areas alongside…
> 
> Oh look everyone, Silas! He’s also rocking the Paladin class, too. It’s good to see him still being the guy who just wants to help… even if that does mean unknowingly taking in a half-dragon. Will these half-dragons get names? Well, duh… I mean, the missing sister had her Draconic name announced, so the rest obviously have names.
> 
> Ah, good to see you’re still alive after your rampage there, Lupus, and it seems you only killed… oh. Two platoons, with two squads of Royal Guards. Well then, and you also were… ‘remotely digesting them’, oh that’s lovely. Anyway, it ended with a song? Oh, I wonder who did that… Next up is, ah-ha! The arena scene! Except that, she’s allowed to use her Dragonstone… which they don’t give her immediately of course. So, that leads to Lilith throwing her own Dragonstone towards Lupus. Geez, throw another screwball in here while you’re at it. Like that ‘Wild Thunder’ I suppose, oh!
> 
> And with that ‘Wild Thunder’ it proves that Lupus is capable of shooting more than just water spheres from her maw… or should I say digestive fluid spheres? Anyway, so remember the in-game animation for ‘Dragon Fang’ when it occurs while wielding a tome or scroll? That is what I am going for… however instead of it coming from a tome, it instead comes after the half-dragon ‘eats’ a spell, with the more spells they ‘eat’, the more powerful Wild Magic spell they can cast back.
> 
> Last up is… Azura! So, let’s see what we got here… a short piece on riding her horse with three wyverns around her, a tune leads to an encounter with one of the half-dragons and… what’s this? A missing sister? Revenge for a dead mother? Whew, well then. Let’s hope Azura can knock some sense into Garon, I’m sure one of the last things we need now is to shatter any hope for peace. Oh, and we also have two names! So, the eldest brother of the half-dragon brood is named Pimtvsetbe… and he is looking for a sister named Ztisepzv, but…
> 
> Could Ztisepzv really be Lupus/Corrin? If so then, whew… she’s rocking three different names, or six if you count both English and Draconic versions.


	58. Drag(on)gin New Topics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve re-thought how Draconic is going to be handled. For the long conversations/explanations, [they will be typed up as such], but that doesn’t mean I’m always putting them in brackets. For the shorter portions and less demanding information, it’ll remain in Draconic. So, like, a conversation can start off with the ‘Hello, how are you?’ being in Draconic, but once the conversation kicks off and there is a lot more there, then I’ll move over to brackets.
> 
> I do apologize if those large sections of Draconic has made the fic less desirable overall. After this chapter is posted, I’ll make some time to apply the aforementioned changes retroactively.
> 
> Now then! Enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

 

“And what do you mean ‘there’s no room for another’?!” Silas exclaims as he runs a hand through his hair. “Every inn can’t be full, right?”

The innkeeper essentially shrugs him off, “It’s not my fault people want rooms.” He then glances at the Paladin, “You’re a soldier anyway… don’t you have your own room in the barracks, or something?”

He sighs, “It’s not for me. I found a woman who really needs a place to stay. She’s a civilian, so I can’t bring her into the castle with me.”

The innkeeper opened his mouth to respond, but someone else called him down, “Sorry sir, there’s nothing I can do. I do wish you luck… now, excuse me.”

Another sigh exits Silas’s mouth as he leaves yet another inn. The young mute is looking at him with expectant eyes. “I’m sorry, they are full, too.” A frown follows, “Ma’am, I don’t think I’ll be able to find a place by tonight…” He groans, “I refuse to leave you alone, but I also really need to get back to the castle so I can report what happened to your village.” The young woman tilts her head, the frown hasn’t left yet. “The problem is that I can’t bring you into the castle with me… that’s just how the rules are. I… I don’t know what else I can do for you.”

As such, he ends up getting a rather intense response, in the form of her wrapping her arms around him and squeezing maybe just a bit too tightly for his comfort. When she looks up, he can see tears glistening in her, admittedly strangely, red eyes. Silas pats her and sort of ruffles her long white hair, “That doesn’t mean I’m giving up just yet, I’m sure if I push for a few more hours, then there will be a place that give you shelter for a night.” She shakes her head and buries herself in his armor, “I-I’ll be back as soon as I can!” She reaches to place a hand over his chest armor and gives him a serious look like she’s… unsure? Is she asking for reassurance? “Ma’am.” He lowers himself just enough to where they are at eye level, “I promise I’ll be back for you as soon as I can, okay?” She then huffs, though instead of unconvinced, she now looks like she simply doesn’t want that to happen. It really does pain him to see her like this, “Let’s go, alright? There has to be an open spot somewhere…” Silas takes the lead with the mute woman behind him, like right behind him… step for step behind him. He can almost feel her body movements. He can hear her more uneven breaths, how shaken she is… and then it clicks.

He was trying to find a place for her to sleep  **alone**  for the night, gods… that thought must be setting off all kinds of anxiety for her. She whimpers when people get too close, she scrambles to get close as much distance as she can between her and Silas. “Alright, I understand. I…” He takes a breath, “I’ll wait a day for that report. There’s obviously no way we would have made a clear trip there and back… we fought some Faceless and it costed us time, there.” He turns to look at her and now her face is absolutely beaming, “Let’s find a place to rest, okay?” With that said, he continues to lead the way.

The two continue to walk through the slightly larger than average village. He does need to hurry regardless… prices tend to rise at night for such petty reasons as 'commotion' fees. However, the Crown won't do anything about it, and it seems as if most of Nohr doesn't care. Yet, even being such a minority, Silas strives for a caring personality…

He then almost trips when she abruptly stops, "Ma'am?" He looks, yet she seems to be… concentrating? "Wha-!" In the span of a single second…

Silas felt some thief slip off with his coin purse. The thief takes a single step. The mute woman reaches out and does an overhead slam on the thief… whose neck echoes a sickening crunch. The mute woman presents Silas's coin purse, which she managed to grab while she piledrived the thief into the ground.

Again, all in a second. A single blink. Silas had just responded enough to unsheathe his sword by the time he realized the woman was holding his coin purse.. and that the thief was dead. "D-D-Did you just…?" He looks at her in awe… before actually sheathing his sword and accepting the coin purse.

He gets an incredibly smug smile from her. She then points at him and hugs herself with a more of a happy smile. "Th-thank you…" She huffs, "What?" She rolls her eyes,  **yanks**  him closer…

Gets right up to his ear and gently whispered, "Friend." It was one of the single softest quietest voices he ever heard… she could have been holding a conversation the whole time and he wouldn't have even noticed. “Friend.” She repeats as she pulls away her red eyes are shining with adoration. But, why at him? He wasn’t the one that just retrieved a coin purse by slamming a criminal into the ground.

She literally  **needed**  to be that close for him to hear her… and even then, he just barely heard her. "You… aren't a mute?" She simply shakes her head, then points ahead… and then leans her head on her hands… like a pillow, "You're right, we need to get moving."

“G-gods, did… you see that?!” Oh right, they aren’t alone. “Did she just…?” “By the gods, but… she looks so frail and…” And with the crowd of people comes the return of her huddling up next to Silas. Yet, she had no problem outright killing that man. Is she shy? Or simply quiet? Keeping her close, he continues to move through the village, making sure there is as little eye contact on her as possible.

“...” Silas knows she just said something, but even this small distance he suddenly can’t hear her.

By the gods,  **who**  did he just pick up?

* * *

Queen Mikoto takes a breath as she descends into her least liked location in the entire castle… the dungeons. Princess Camilla of Nohr has successfully been transferred and now she wishes to personally attend to her. She is  **not**  Garon, she will give Lady Camilla proper treatment. However, that doesn’t mean she’s opposed to firing one of her magical arrows at the King of Nohr. Mikoto sighs as she straightens herself when she starts passing all of the empty cells. She truly hopes that these cells will never get filled.

Step step, turn… and there she is. “Ah, hello… you must be Queen Mikoto, correct?” The purple-haired Nohrian Princess calmly greets her. “My, you look wonderful for your age.” She smiles. Well then, this wasn’t the type of woman Mikoto had assumed… the one that had a section of a Hoshidan forest burnt down, slaughtering several Wolfskin of her daughter’s pack and apparently even terrifying Corrin herself. Is this a front? Perhaps.

“Princess Camilla of Nohr.” Still, she gives her the proper respect. “Thank you for the compliment.”

The other stands at her full height, “I’m glad to have met you, your Highness… despite the circumstances.”

Everything about her body language is speaking honesty right now, a stark contrast from the ‘murderous woman’ that attacked her people and family. “Are you well, Lady Camilla?”

She briefly glances around, “I’m honestly surprised at how much I’m allowed. Is this due to my Royal Blood?”

A bit of her emotions comes out, “Is it due to my daughter’s Royal Blood that she was  **tortured** ?”

Lady Camilla raises an eyebrow, “Lady Corrin was tortured?”

“No, my youngest, Princess Sakura.”

“She was?” Either Camilla is putting on a great poker face, or she’s genuinely confused. “My condolences, I hadn’t known.”

“You played a direct hand in her capture, how wouldn’t you know?”

“I was informed by a scout that High Prince Ryoma had been injured from a duel and that now was an opportune time to strike. I rounded up my retainers and a group of soldiers and assaulted the Hoshidan Base Camp. There was no news of Lord Ryoma having recovered, nor of the two Nine-tails in the area. The soldiers were killed, with my retainers and myself being captured.”

“Are you also admitting ignorance for the… false trade?”

“Oh no, I knew about that. I also knew that the scouting information was false. I simply followed Iago’s orders. However, I had no idea that Lady Sakura was to be tortured.” She goes to sit down. “If you wish to interrogate me, know that I’ve been kept in the dark for many things. Iago has many plans, and only a few are actually shared.”

A pause, “Was it Iago’s intention to put Prince Leo and Princess Elise into a situation where things would be terrible enough to leave Nohr and fight for Hoshido?”

A heavy silence as Mikoto can practically see Lady Camilla’s mind working. “ **What** ?!” She immediately stands up again. “No, you’re… you’re lying.”

“Lord Leo has fought with Corrin’s pack and against Crown Prince Xander. Lady Elise saved Hana and many other Hoshidan lives during the attack to rescue Sakura, Kagero, and Subaki… and she is continuing to heal Hoshidan troops as we speak.”

“I… gods. I had no idea. They would…” And just like that, it seems as if Lady Camilla’s world had just been shattered. “My sweet Elise and dear Leo… driven from Nohr?”

“Keep that in mind for several days, Lady Camilla. I will return later.” Leaving her with such a grim note, Mikoto walks away. She’ll let Lady Camilla dwell on that information and perhaps… perhaps Mikoto can make some good come out of all of this. She would try for Krakenburg’s interior design, but her army already has two sources for that. What else could she get…

* * *

Kagero is, by no surprise, cuddled up next to Kaden’s Nine-tails form. The Ninja has since regained most of what she has lost and then some. Training with Kaden has given Kagero an impressive amount of speed at her disposal… Saizo has trouble keeping up with her. She is very thankful for the Kitsune, something she typically repays by simply brushing his fur, which seems to be one of the best things she can do for him, besides… he has the softest fur ever, a level of plushness that simply cannot be matched… and to top it off, it comes with the warmth of another and the gentleness of a steady heartbeat and deep breathing.

She is hopelessly in love with the Kitsune alpha.

Then her moment with him is abruptly ruined as Selkie speeds past them, with Vella close behind. Kagero pats off the dirt that has been kicked up, while Kaden groans. “I’m glad they’re having fun, but…” He sighs, “I was having a good dream again.”

Kagero smiles, “Oh, and what was it about?”

He looks at her with a smile of his own, “Having a hamlet again…” He trails off, and going by the way he’s looking at her.

She flushes, “Not so loud, please.”

“Hm? I didn’t say anything.” He smirks.

“No, but you were going to.”

“What was I going to say?”

“I’m not falling for that.”

“Aw c’mon, besides… you aren’t going to be the only one.” He stretches…

And she stares him down. “Kaden, you’re going have to be careful with that.”

“...what? Did I forget something?”

“Sex is a very personal thing. I’m not looking to be your ‘mate’. It’ll hurt knowing you’re… sleeping with other females.” Just thinking about it pains her.

“I need more than one female, Kagero. It would be dangerous for the Kitsunes if I didn’t actively mate with multiple females… especially considering I reached the Nine-tails form without a Beastrune. That alone makes me an excellent choice for mating with females.”

“...I know, but it’s still going to hurt. Gods, I love you Kaden, but… just know it’ll take time for me to accept those traditions, that is, if I ever get used to them.”

A short pause, “Besides, you alone won’t be able to keep up with my sex drive.” He bluntly states.

“Excuse me?”

“Well that, and even if you could, that would be a waste of energy and my sperm. There’s no way you could keep all of it in you.”

“Kaden!”

“...what?” He still looks confused. “I could probably go long enough to give you a bath in it.”

“ **Kaden** !” She shouts with a completely red face. “This is not an appropriate topic in a public area.”

“You sounded confused about why I need more than one female, so I’m explaining it to you.”

“You can do that when we’re alone.” She sighs. “Actually, I’d rather not know at all. I think this is beyond me.”

“Well, I don’t want you to feel like I’m trying to hurt you, Kagero. Because I don’t. I want to make sure you’re happy and… I’m trying. It isn’t easy, just like you’re having trouble grasping the things I need to do, I’m having trouble grasping the things you need to do. Kitsunes don’t have the luxury of just bedding one person, we need more than that. Despite my hamlet being peaceful, I still lost dozens of Kitsunes to poachers. It isn’t an easy life and we need to make sure we can keep going.” He opens his arms, “So, please forgive me.”

She smiles, “I know. I know you’re right.” She walks into his embrace and relishes the warmth and…

Suddenly on edge nature of him, yet before she could ask. “State your business.” Kagero quickly turns around to see a robed person at the gate.

“...female.” Kaden states. “I can’t say much more than that.”

This robed woman talks to the guard in a lower tone, who then lets her through. She walks with an air of authority… of power. “I need to return to Lord Ryoma, excuse me…” Kagero vanishes to quickly move to her liege’s side and…

“I’m looking to speak to the leader.” She states out-loud.

A number of other soldiers have since approached her, nobody seems to be too approving of her. “Perhaps you can take off that robe of yours, first?” The one-eye archer… Niles, was it? “Or I could always…”

“Silence.” While Kagero isn’t a Mage herself, she could definitely ‘feel’ a wave of magic leave this robed woman. “Your leader. Where is he?”

“I am.” High Prince Ryoma approaches with his full armor and Rajinto by his side. “High Prince Ryoma, and who would walk into this Base camp… you do understand we’re at war, correct?”

A short… giggle follows, “Yes… ‘we’.” She clears her throat, “I simply have a few questions.” She raises her head slightly, but the hood still conceals her quite well.

“I will answer them as best as I can, but after this… I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

She slowly nods. “I’m looking for a lost sister of mine. She’s been gone for most of me and my sibling’s lives… about eighteen years I believe. I was wondering if you could assist me in finding her.”

“Eighteen years?” Lord Ryoma shakes his head, “Ma’am, if she’s been missing for that long, then something terrible must have happened.”

The woman tilts her head, before closing off whatever distance remained… causing both Kagero and Saizo to appear by their liege’s side. “Back off.” Is what Saizo barks out.

“Ma’am please, keep your distance.” Kagero more calmly adds.

She doesn’t even spare either of the Ninjas a single glance, then that aura of power increases and it’s enough to actually startle Lord Ryoma, “Do not toy with me. I can smell her scent lining you humans.” Wait, ‘you humans’? “She has been here. Some of you must have held her with how potent the scent can get. Where is my sister! Yseranyx?” With that she sheds the robe, revealing an almost… eerie comparison. Long white hair, though it has been pulled up into twintails, revealing pointed ears on the sides of her head, a set of sharpened teeth, “Xjisi ot nz totvis! Ztisepzy?”

Gods, she looks just like Lupus… except that she has  heterochromia. One of her eyes is colored a vivid red like Lupus’s, but the other is an intense brown … just like Lord Ryoma’s.

* * *

He stands up to stretch out his draconic body alongside letting out a content growl, relieving himself of the remaining sleep, then proceeds to shake his body. He takes a brief glance around before exiting his den, and takes a moment to clearly observe the current events happening. This particular half-dragon arrived with the sole intention of getting more offspring with draconic blood in them… so he challenged this pack’s previous alpha and won. Not to say that it was easy by any means… fighting a Wolfsegger is anything but that. But now with his status as alpha secured, he has the right to mate with the females…

Which is something he adamantly pursues. Despite the timing, he has managed to make enough time and grasp the resources required for raising offspring while also sparing enough energy to breed with  **every**  female in his pack. Sure, he desires finding his brood’s missing sister as much as the rest of his siblings, but he also wants to make sure that there are plenty of dragons in the future.

And considering that there have been at least six litters of Wolfskin/Dragon hybrids, he’d say he’s doing a pretty good job at that…

There’s also the added benefit of slaughtering all of the nearby villages and staking claim to the single largest territory any Wolfskin pack has ever known. The youngest brother of the brood essentially has claimed a huge chunk of the southern mountains. However! There is one distinct difference in his rule…

There are other Wolfskin packs, ones he  **lets**  them stay. He has traveled to each of these packs, challenged those alphas, and came out on top. Instead of taking the alpha status for these packs though… he lets them continue as they are, but they are now an extension of the pack he resides in.

And it’s this form of ruling that has allowed him to own so much land.  **All**  of the packs located in this land are under his rule, his protection. Wolfskin numbers have risen quickly, further cementing the security of the southern mountain range. More offspring are raised to have more adults, more adults allow for a wider range of patrols and hunting parties, more patrols and hunting parties means the poachers have less opportunity to kill, less poacher attacks means it’s safer to breed more, and it all adds onto itself.

Ultimately, it was this choice in ruling that has secured all of these Wolfskin’s future… and his own draconic heritage. True, his offspring may not be pure-blooded Dragon, but at least the human-portion is smaller than it was before. Half-Wolfskin, one quarter-Dragon and one-quarter Human. Encourage the development of the more draconic offspring, weed out the more human ones. There are enough humans as is, it’s time for the dragons to start rising again… but this time?

This time the beastfolk will also rise with them. Not just Wolfskin, but he’ll also establish a similar rule with Kitsune hamlets.

He raises his head high and lets out a powerful roar, one that’ll echo across the majority of  **his**  land. A draconic roar that is so potent, so fueled by his dominance, that it literally sends the common animal running… even the mighty bears will halt at the sound. During his roar, his pack lets out howls of their own, adding to the echoes… which in turn causes the other packs to howl. This is  **his**  land. Humans won’t take from them, they can’t take from them, instead… they will take from the humans. The dragons will repopulate. The Wolfskin will become more numerous. The Kitsunes will soon follow suit.

And the humans will pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, Silas is up again, huh… must have something to do with the, uh, ‘mute’ woman in his care. At least he’s willing to accomodate for her and… ok, surely he means sleeping in different rooms, right? Silas isn’t that type of guy. Huh, a bit where a thief steals something, but ends up getting killed by a half-dragon… sound familiar? Also, the youngest sister just spoke a word in English, even though it was stated she doesn’t know how to speak it last chapter. Well, that’s the only word she knows right now. Now, as for her loudness… keep in mind that her draconic siblings have much sharper hearing, hence why she doesn’t need to get right up to their ears to voice something. So, instead of dealing with a mute, Silas has a woman who needs to be very close to him before he can hear her…
> 
> I bet that doesn’t look intimate at all to the surrounding people.
> 
> And now Princess Camilla is in Shirasagi, with a determined Mikoto grilling her out. And, whew… that’s gotta be rough. Doesn’t really seem Mikoto-like to leave Camilla brooding like that, but at least Camilla is getting proper food and water. I suppose a few days of shattering Camilla’s world is better than keeping her at death’s door.
> 
> Aw, Kagero is napping with Kaden… again, but this time it’s ruined by a pair of beastfolk. Selkie and Velouria are playing with each other… so another ‘aw’ moment. It’s good to see the vixen and bitch getting along. Then there’s a short conversation dealing with some awkward moments because of Kaden being a Kitsune, a discussion of much more… personal topics out in the open and… oh. A mysterious visitor? Someone who slips through the gate guards, demands to see the leader and is… missing a sister? And that this woman looks almost identical to Lupus, well then. There’s a shocker for the base camp… a perfect cliffhanger for them!
> 
> Lastly is… the youngest brother of the brood. The one who is an alpha of a Wolfskin pack, but… he’s running things differently, isn’t he? It’s almost like he’s taking human-style ruling, but changing it enough to make it, uh, ‘tolerable’ for the Wolfskin. And whew… because of this, he’s ruling a hearty portion of the southern mountains. That’s also a tall order he’s got, right? Repopulating the dragonkin while also letting Wolfskin come along for the surge in numbers. Let’s hope he can keep it up…
> 
> And maybe reduce the bloodlust for human death.
> 
> Oh, and one last comment on the brood. While yes, the brothers and sisters of the brood are being labeled ‘eldest’ and the like… keep in mind that the difference in age between the ‘eldest’ and the ‘youngest’ is less than an hour, whenever they got out of their respective eggs.
> 
> As for Azura? Lilith? Lupus? Aw, come on… the last chapter was practically dedicated to them! I wanted to step back from them to give the other plot points and characters some time in the spotlight. Besides, it allows me to get some extra time before they show up again, accounting for travel distance and such.


	59. Stubborn Pride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, pre-translated Draconic is in [a set of brackets], but there are no “quotation marks”.
> 
> This is going to be a double-post this time around. This chapter has plot, and the next one has the... 'plot' ;). Alright so, why don't I just combine them? Pfft, why would I do that? If I post them separately, then I can make a pun out of the next chapter's title!
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

 

Ryoma stands across from this mysterious woman from the war map, then crosses his arms and furrows his brows. Imagine his surprise when a ‘civilian’ somehow manages to talk their way through the guards in a matter of a few words, stormed into the center of the base camp, then demanded to speak to ‘the ‘leader’. She then stood up straight to him and claimed that, what was her sister’s name… ‘Yseranyx’? That that woman was here. Then… she dropped her robe.

And, by the gods, she looks just like Lupus, bar the fact that one of her eyes has a distinct brown color like him and his father. “Alright, we’re alone… now explain yourself.” Ryoma finally speaks up.

She looks right at him, “I meant what I said. I’m looking for my sister.”

“No, not that part. You claimed that she was here in this camp.”

“I  **know**  she was here in this camp.”

“How?!” Ryoma pulls himself back and takes a breath.

“I can smell  **her scent**  so strongly here. Especially, especially with that… female Wolfskin.”

“Velouria?” He asks.

“I don’t know people’s names here! The female Wolfskin, that one male Wolfskin with the purple fur, the… and a few of the humans.”

“And me.”

“In a different way, yes.”

“Care to explain that…”

She slams the table, an action that causes the whole thing to crack and the area around it outright shatters. “Stop. Toying. With me.”

“I’m not, ma’am. I’m genuinely confused.” A pause, “However, you are starting to run my patience thin. Explain yourself or leave.”

“ **Because we share the same blood** !” She yells.

A short silence. “...come again?”

She takes a breath and relaxes herself. “I’m looking for my lost sister.” She repeats, “We’re blood-sisters, our blood will smell similar.  **Your**  blood smells like hers.”

“Alright, I can believe the talk about people having their own scents… but blood? That is absurd. How does the scent of one’s body run all the way into blood?” She reaches into her clothes and pulls out a stone, a vivid emerald that seems to glow…

Then she forms a lance out of her arm, before it fades away. “After my brood left our eggs, and after we learned enough to comprehend the more complex matters, mother informed us that she let the  **human**  she mated with have one of the eggs.”

White hair, one vivid red eye, sharpened teeth, the ability to shift body parts, Ryoma looked her over. “And who is this ‘human’?” Then, of course there is the eye that matches his.

“I don’t know. That part didn’t matter. She assured us that she would be safe in his care. Just as we would be safe in hers…” She deflates and puts the Dragonstone away. “Before some mad woman stormed in, magically ripped mother apart and harvested whatever she could from her.” She looks at him again, the fury has died down and she looks more weary than anything. “We need to make sure she’s still well.”

So, he decides to take a chance, “You do look almost exactly like a woman I know. In fact, when you dropped your robe, I thought you were her. Literally the only difference is how one of your eyes is colored brown… well and your hair is also pulled up.”

“So, you do know of her. Where is she?”

“ **If**  we’re speaking of the same person, her birth name is Corrin, though most of us call her Lupus.”

“Her birth name is Yseranyx, not whatever name you humans gave her.” At least she doesn’t seem ready to pounce now.

Ryoma takes another breath, “Whatever you wish to call her. She lived with…”

“Get to the point.”

“Castle Krakenburg. She has been stolen after the Wolfskin pack had been almost completely killed off.”

Grind, carve… the table suffers more damage through claw marks. “If you know where she is…”

“We’re locked in a stalemate, we have been unable to break through the main road. The mountains are too dangerous as they have too many Wolfskin packs and Kitsune hamlets to go through, not to mention the…”

“I can get you passage across them.” She cuts him off. “Our youngest brother has taken the alpha position of a Wolfskin den in the southern mountain range… and this isn’t just a mile wide… he controls, oh wait…” She seems to remember that there is a map on the table, “About this much.” She then basically rips into the map with her finger and makes a circle so large that it literally does cover almost the entire southern range.

“You’re exaggerating.”

“I’m not.”

“There’s no way he can…”

She slams the table again, “Do you want help or not?! I’m not ignorant, I know my siblings and I can **not**  storm an entire castle to free her. I  **know**  we need help, but if you’re going to sit here and complain about how you ‘can’t break through’ but then turn around and deny aid as soon as it’s presented to you… then maybe you should reconsider your role.”

“You’re misunderstanding me. I’ll accept the help, I just… can’t believe what you’re telling me.” Despite his calm appearance, Ryoma is pretty much at his wit’s end. “So, you can secure us a passage in the southern mountain range?”

“That’s what I just said, didn’t I?”

“Through your…”

“ **Do you want help, or not?** ” Gods, and she is incredibly volatile, isn’t she?

He takes one more deep breath, “Yes, we’ll accept your aid.”

“...took you long enough. I swear if I didn’t have the amount of patience that I do…” She mumbles.

“Is that what you consider patience?” Ryoma asks. “You already snapped at me several times.”

“If any of my brothers were going to do this, they’d start by slaughtering everyone in here until they started talking.”

“...speaking of murder sprees.” Ryoma starts, “There have been a number of villages that…”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t get to…”

“If you’re about to bring up severed corpses and seas of blood, then yes, the eldest and middle brother are the ones. If it happened near that southern mountain range, it was the youngest brother.”

“What of you and the youngest sister?”

“I’ve actually been traveling around and  **asking**  for information. The youngest is…” She pauses as her face twists with concern, “Even for a female, she’s incredibly submissive. She’s very quiet, to the point where if we didn’t have superior hearing, then we probably wouldn’t even be able to hear her. She despises fighting, also. However… she also tends to follow the eldest brother around and he is… well, the most violent out of all of us.”

“Violent?”

“Well… vengeful is probably a better term.” A hefty silence follows and now she seems… conflicted?

And with that silence, Ryoma recalls an earlier bit, “You told me that my blood smells similar, right?”

She shakes her head, “I need to go. It’ll take time to inform all the packs about your army’s movement.” She backs off.

“Wait! Your name?” How could he have forgotten such a common formality?

“Utvseie.”

“Utvseie?” He echoes. “Despite it all, I’m glad to have met you, Utvseie.” She walks out without responding… and once she is gone? Ryoma heaves a deep breath, ‘despite it all’, he drily chuckles. He’s more thankful she’s out of his hair now. Gods, if she’s the  **patient**  one, he’ll loathe to meet the others. “Saizo? Kagero?”

“Yes, milord?” The two enter… but Ryoma noticed that Kagero was roughly a second faster.

“I hate to send either of you on such a menial task… but could you retrieve some medication for headaches?”

“Consider it…” Saizo starts, but Kagero had already vanished.

“Saizo, are you well?” He notes the man’s irritation.

“Not only has she recovered already, but she’s better than she was before  **and**  much more energetic.”

“Is that… jealousy I hear?” He smirks.

“No, Lord Ryoma.”

“Would you like to know how she did it?” He presses regardless as he clears his throat, “Perhaps you should take from her example… and get some extra rest.”

“It is the duty of a retainer…”

“Saizo… Kagero is outperforming you by a mile. As you just stated, she’s far better than she was before… and she’s making time to nap.”

“At the cost of your safety.” Of course Ryoma can’t simply convince Saizo… he’s the single most stubborn man, not that Ryoma can blame him. He understands Saizo way of thinking.

“Lord Ryoma…” And just like that, Kagero has returned, looking as well-rested as she did beforehand… like she never even left. Ryoma raises an eyebrow at Saizo as Kagero takes the liberty of pouring the correct dosage.

“Thank you, Kagero.”

“It is my honor, Lord Ryoma.” However, after she serves Ryoma the suggested amount, she uncharacteristically stands there with a… flush?

“Is something wrong?” He notes her sudden fidgeting.

“I feel like it’s against what I should do and I hate to ask for such a thing that will cause me to not be by your side…”

“You’ve no problem sleeping the day away with that Kitsune.” Saizo cuts her off.

“Saizo.” Ryoma firmly states, “Kagero, what do you need?”

Kagero looks down for a moment, takes a breath, then almost shakily makes eye contact, “I wish to request to have the night off, for…” With her face now completely flushed, she even more strangely fidgets with her outfit. “Personal… reasons.”

Then, of all things, Ryoma smiles. “On one condition.”

And all to quickly she replies, “Whatever you need.”

“You can take the night off… but only if  **Saizo**  takes a different day off.” He directs his gaze towards his other retainer.

“Lord Ryoma!” Kagero exclaims.

“It’s a rather ironic thing to bring up, Kagero… since Saizo and I were just talking about assigning him a day off, weren’t we?” Oh, what a terrible lie.

Saizo remains quiet for a moment, “I can’t just…”

“Saizo…” Ryoma, not so subtly, goads him.

“...Half a day.” Saizo attempts to compromise.

“A whole day.”

“Three quarters?” It’s honestly humorous to see Saizo acting like this.

“A whole day.”

Looking between Kagero and Ryoma, he nods, “Very well. I will… take… a day… off… later.” He is acting like simply saying that is killing him.

Ryoma smiles, “Good. Kagero, you may have the night off. Saizo, you  **will**  follow up on your end of the deal.” He then levels a look at Kagero, “Do enjoy your night, Kagero.”

“Thank you, Lord Ryoma.” Kagero bows, then promptly leaves.

* * *

Princess Hinoka is… leaning against a tree beside Keaty. She has her arms crossed, he has his hands in his pockets. She’s looking one way, Keaty is looking the other. Hinoka wants to spar with Keaty, Keaty doesn’t want to. So, the two are playing a game of ‘who can be the most stubborn one’. On one hand, there is a big sister who has already dealt with the likes of a younger Takumi, who was surprisingly a lot more pouty when he was young. On the other hand is Keaty, who had the horrors of two sisters who either chased him around their birth-den or shoved their noses in his fur.

Sure, it may be immature the way they’re handling this, but… “Keaty.” She speaks up.

“I said no.” but, that.

“Well, that’s not what I was going to bring up.”

“You say that, but your scent tells me otherwise.” Keaty huffs.

Hinoka groans… but then an idea crosses her mind, “Alright, fine… I’ll ask Kaden. I’m sure he’ll be more willing.” No, probably not… playing is Selkie’s field, but Kaden is a Kitsune alpha, basically the opposite of Keaty. So, by saying that she’d rather ask him…

As she expected, he growls, “ **No** , you will not.”

“Oh? And whaddya gonna do?” She turns and smirks at him. “Maybe if you wore me out with some training, then I’ll stick around.”

“You don’t want to push me today, Hina.” Oh, what a pitiful excuse.

“See you later, then.” She walks off. “Maybe I’ll ask Dadaan, then.” She wasn’t being completely serious, she  **wants**  to spar with Keaty, but since he is being such a stubborn Wolfskin, she’s resorting to more…

The next thing she knows, she’s on the face-down ground with Keaty looming pinning her down. “You’re  **mine** .” Is the first thing he says, followed by, “I’m trying to respect your ways, but if you keep pushing me, then the concept of ‘consent’ is going to mean  **nothing** .” Oh, oh…

Taking a breath to try and steady herself as much as she can while being pinned down by a Wolfsegger, “You’re horny.”

An expression he didn’t recognize, “I’m what?” Which also thankfully relieved the pressure.

“It’s… uh. Kinda like being ‘in heat’, but it can apply to either gender.” Perhaps it’s due to the amount of times that sex has came up as a topic, but Hinoka really isn’t bothered talking about in public.

“How long does it last?”

Wait, “So, you don’t have  **anything**  like that?”

“No.” He gets up and she rolls over, but doesn’t actually make an effort to get up yet.

It does feel nice on the ground, after all.“But, surely the other males have to feel something like it, if they aren’t the alpha.”

A short pause, “No. The other males know by instinct that only the alpha mates… and if the alpha wants to mate, then he mates…”

“Uh yeah, that’s called ‘being horny’.” She places her hands under her head, then crosses a leg.

“...human terms.” He scoffs, “Alright, how long does it last?”

And at last, Hinoka’s face flushes, “I… don’t think it really does.”

“Hina…” he growls.

So, the main issue has been brought up. Keaty is horny, he has an urge for sex. Hinoka won’t deny that she wants to, but she also doesn’t… “Hey, Keaty?”

“Yes?”

“So… I’m going to stop by the clinic, see if they have something kinda important, and I’ll be back later, okay? Okay. See you!” Keaty simply stares as Hinoka suddenly and almost bounces up, then kicks up dirt as she runs off.

He then scoffs again, “Humans…”

* * *

Lupus awakens, once again, to her cell… the original cell this time, though the enchanted shackles remain. However, what she wasn’t expecting was to see Lilith sitting beside her. The ‘Maid’ seems completely at ease. “Lilith!”

“Ah, you’re awake.” She gently smiles at Lupus. “You suffered some pretty grievous injuries.” She stands and starts inspecting her, “I know what you’re probably wondering… no, I’m not imprisoned. Honestly, if I was then why would they put me in the same cell?”

“Oh… good point.” Lupus mutters. “Hey, Lilith? What did I do with that spell? Back in the arena?”

“Zua atif zuas Xomf Nehod.” She smoothly switches over to Draconic.

Narrowing her eyes, Lupus slowly replies with, [Nycas, said… something about that. Wild Magic. What is it?]

Lilith’s chest fills up with pride again, It’s a type of magic unique to dragons. We can cast spells that others can’t.]

But Lupus frowns, [Nycas was able to stop me from partially shifting. She said that she could use it.]

And for the first time, Lilith actually shows off draconic fangs, rather than the human teeth, [I hate the scent of that human. She isn’t right.] Her golden eyes gain a faint red tint, like blood… a danger, something best left unbothered.

[Lilith? Can you teach me more about dragon stuff?]

Within a second, her mood rises, [I would love to, but not here.]

Good point, there are too many humans around and these shackles really limit what… [Lilith? You told me you are over three thousand years, right? Do you have any interesting stories to tell?]

Lilith hums, “[Let’s see… how about some of the stuff I did with my ‘previous’ lives?]

Lupus quickly nods, “Ulez.”

* * *

Back during this time she called herself Abigail. Abigail the… Maid, actually. However, she wasn’t a Maid in Castle Krakenburg, in fact, she wasn’t even a Maid in Nohr. During this ‘life’ she worked at the polar opposite… Castle Shirasagi. During this ‘life’ she believes that the current rulers were the… great-great-grandparents of Sumeragi. Of course, with every set of rulers means that there are Royal children, and just like any other child, Royal children need to be raised.

However, the Queen at the time was a very busy woman as she liked to travel across Hoshido to personally attend to matters… much to the unending ire and concern of her retainers and every single personal guard. Now, keep in mind that Abigail… Yelena hasn’t and won’t physically mature for another thousand years or so, so she looks as she does now.

Well, except for the fact that her hair is colored a dark red, with her eyes contrasting a bright red. Her Maid outfit reflected the Hoshidan Royal colors of white and red. Now then, due to her youthful appearance… well to be honest, due to her seemingly underdeveloped breasts, she was typically assumed to be a ‘new’ and ‘young’ Maid, which is something that will eternally grate on Yelena’s nerves.

She isn’t  **that**  young! She’s perfectly capable of giving birth and… well. See, by her bloodline alone, she normally wouldn’t breastfeed, as dragonlings don’t require ‘mother’s milk’ since draconic females don’t have teats. However, due to the amount of times she uses her Wild Magic to change her appearance… some of the side effects caused her body to ‘keep’ some traits. Yes, she is pure-blooded dragon, but she can also produce milk like any other human mother…

And that is what this particular event is based around. A woman who looks ‘underaged’ breastfeeding one of the daughters of the King and Queen.

Erm, Yelena doesn’t exactly remember what the King, Queen, or any of the children looked like, she can’t remember everything, after all.

Now then. Yelena… Abigail is currently at the city’s market with the daughter cradled in an arm. She is multitasking with keeping the daughter calm and getting groceries for some custom meals. However, she soon had to take a break, because the daughter began crying, and well… Abigail could already safely assume what the issue was.

This is far from the first child she has helped raise.

So, she takes a seat at one of the nearby benches, slightly parts her maternal style Maid outfit, then allows the baby girl to suckle on her nipple. Abigail breathed a sigh of relief… her body might have changed to allow milk, but that doesn’t mean every baby can… well, tolerate it. Her milk is ‘supposedly’ too hot and contains nutrients that focuses more on muscle growth and other combat-related quirks.

However, that was  **not**  a diagnosis for ‘Abigail’, that was for a previous Maid ‘life’.

Anyway, Abigail is sitting on the bench with the baby drinking the probably too hot milk when she was approached by an ‘actual’ Milk-Maid. “Hello ma’am.” She greets with a slight bow, and while it seems simply friendly.

Abigail knows she did it to show off her ‘far superior’ breasts. This woman is a cow compared to most.  Abigail is more surprised that this woman isn’t falling over.“Good evening, ma’am. How are you doing?” Regardless, Abigail gently returns the greeting.

“I am doing quite well, it is a lovely day, isn’t it?” She then boldly sits beside her, “And what a beautiful baby you have.”

“She is adorable, isn’t she?” Abigail smiles, sure this might not be her child, but another trait she’s picked up is this… feeling that comes with holding babies. It’s different when compared to wanting to protect offspring.

“Is she getting enough?” Yep, and there it is.

Abigail lightly giggles, “I have more in me than most would assume.”

She hums, “I meant more for nutrients, the  **best**  Milk Maids always have large breasts.” Pride.

“They ‘usually’ have large breasts.” Abigail quickly counters, “I’m a unique case… I have a healthy amount of nutrients in my milk… more than even the ‘best’ Milk Maids.” She puffs her own chest with pride.

To which the 'older' Milk Maid raises an eyebrow, "And just how many babies have you raised?"

Abigail was about to respond with the honest answer… at least a dozen. But in this situation? There's no reasonable way she can get away with such a high number and not sound crazy… or giving her true nature away. So, she swallows her draconic pride and replied with, "She's my second."

"Hmph, only two." And just like that, the 'older' one turns her nose up at her.

"But they have both been Royalty." Yet, she ended up succumbing to the need to regain her pride. "She is the King and Queen's daughter."

… but it was a gamble that ended up backfiring, "And I'm to believe you'd bring a child of the Crown out here?! What if she were to catch a disease? A simple bee sting can endanger her future. Foolish girl… keep your delusions, I'd rather give my pity for the family that hired  **you** ." With a huff, she gets up and leaves.

Abigail didn't even get a chance to… forget it. She instead returned her attention to the young one in need of milk. “Don’t listen to her… you enjoy my milk, don’t you?” And as confirmation the baby girl smiled as she let out some giggles before going back to solely suckling more milk.

* * *

[That can't be it, right? Lilith… I wanted a good ending.] Lupus gripes.

[Whenever I… whenever Abigail was out alone, she'd get mocked. The rumor spread and grew more incorrect. She ended up leaving before she was actually finished.]

[That's even worse!]

With a grim face, Lilith continued [A new woman visited over a month later, a trainee in the Ninja arts. This woman used those skills in combination with potent magic to listen in… it turned out that the child was refusing wet nurses. The King and Queen were understandably devastated, the daughter only seemed to accept milk when she was starving. Every single milkmaid that the baby didn't accept was fired on the spot. They sent out a request for specifically a petite wet nurse.]

Lupus's face lights up, if only slightly, [So, you did…]

[No. After hearing all that happened, I left again. I haven't returned to Shirasagi since.] She takes a deep breath, looking almost remorseful, [But not before I personally ruined the life of the milk maid that Abigail met that one day.]

“Momovj… casjev fef zua fu?”

Another pause, then her face turns stone cold, "I need to get some specific healing supplies. I'll return later." And she left… just like that.

What all is she leaving unsaid?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, finishing off that cliffhanger. Well… first I hit everyone with the realization of how similar this half-dragon looks to Lupus and now it’s pretty much confirmed that they are directly related… that Lupus and Utvseie are related, so what’s all this about Utvseie sharing the same brown eye color with Ryoma? Or is it just a coincidence? Well, before you go making assumptions off of that, keep in mind I have a trio of Pandaren OCs who look exactly like each other, but are not related in even the smallest of percentages.
> 
> Anyway, after that tense scene with the, uh, ‘patient’ eldest sister, I also go and build off of the youngest brother information brought in last chapter. Then we end Ryoma’s section off with a chat with Saizo and his potential jealousy of Kagero’s improved performance… no! Not that kind of ‘performance’! Oh, it’s just me again on that, yeah? I might need to go and write a… scene with Kaden to drop all the sexual innuendos.
> 
> Then there is that bit with Kagero… asking the night off? Huh, she must be extra tired, right?
> 
> Oh, speaking of sexual innuendos, it seems like… oh, and there it is. Keaton’s feeling it, which means Kaden is also feeling it. Heck, maybe Kaden is feeling it even more… it’s been longer since Kaden has been an alpha than Keaton, but in other news… is Hinoka… interested? I wonder what she's going to the clinic for?
> 
> Last, but not least… a reprieve for Lupus! Sure, it isn’t much, but she’s gotta have at least some time to rest, and what better way than… the first ‘past life’ story Lilith shared. Surprise surprise, it’s about one of her times as a Maid… er, wait. A wet nurse, actually, huh. Anyway, as we should know the first time is the most special, right? So let’s all forever remember the first story Lilith got to share. *hint hint, nudge nudge, say no more say no more, a wink is as good as a nod to a blind man*


	60. It's the Two Fur One Special!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s a ‘two-fur-one’, a pair of bestial banging, a Wolfskin alpha and a Kitsune alpha both getting their game on…
> 
> Geez, how long has it been since the last sex scene? Chapter… 14? Lupus/Seta? Wow. Alright, then this chapter is even more warranted. Oh, and it also happens to be Chapter 60! So, woot!
> 
> This chapter is made with sex in mind, if you don’t want to read, feel free to ignore this chapter. Keaton/Hinoka and Kaden/Kagero ahead. One ‘round’ each, but more are implied. Might as well imply that both women are going to be sperm-drenched by the end of it.
> 
> Do enjoy!

Night has fallen over the Hoshidan Base Camp, so now the nighttime sentries are out, commotion has died down… and Princess Hinoka is not-so-subtly making her way through the camp and to her personal tent… a tent she’s sharing with Keaton tonight. Taking extra and even more suspicious look overs, she slips into the tent and quickly ties the flap. “Alright, I’m here.” Her face has already reddened. Gods, tonight is the night. She knows her body has been wanting to try, and today she made that first step. With her small bag in hand, it means she can go through the rest of it. “Sorry that took so long.”

“What’s in it?” Keaton immediately asks as he sniffs the air… then cringes. “That’s… disgusting.”

“Proper medication rarely smells or tastes good.” She frowns as she does the pouch.

“And  **it**  is…?”

A pause as her heart drops just a bit, “Contraceptives.”

“Con...tra…?”

“Birth control.” She cuts him off. “In other words, I won’t get pregnant.” He looked ready to retort so, “I’m not saying I never want to, it’s just…”

“We’re in the middle of a war, I get it.”

“Oh… you do.”

“Of course I do. Hina, the alpha doesn’t mate all the time…”

“Could we please drop those terms tonight? We aren’t ‘alpha and mate’.” Her breath chokes, “Well, heh… to be honest, what we’re going to do isn’t socially acceptable. We’re supposed to be married first.”

He raises an eyebrow, then shakes his head, “So… humans made something to… prevent pregnancies?”

“Yep. Keaty… not everyone wants children.”

“Really? Considering just how many of you are out there…”

“‘Those terms’ extend to race. Why can’t we just be male and female tonight? Two lovers sharing a night of passion?”

“Love…” he echoes.

“Just… make sure you don’t overdo it, okay?” She asks, “I still need to be able to walk tomorrow.”

He licks his lips and she shivers at the sight, “That’ll depend on how desirable your scent becomes.”

“No more than two.” Her determination falters at his hungry gaze. “I mean… surely more than two would be…”

“I can go all night. Hina, it’s been weeks since I’ve been able to bre…” He stops himself, “Have sex with another female.” He leans back on the bed, but doesn’t actually lie down, “But… if you don’t want to go that long, then… I dunno. Just hope that I will be able to actually listen.” He raises a hand before she counter that, “I’m going to be honest, I’ll probably lose myself in you… ‘all night’ just might become your only option.” He rises back up, “Besides, taking your already strong scent into account…”

She looks away and over to the birth control… then briefly wonder if she’s thinking if he goes that many times… could he actually out-do the birth control? Gods, she should’ve asked for a bit more information instead of running in like a flustered virgin and… She blinks her eyes.

Wait, she  **is**  a flustered virgin! “Hey, Hina?” She startles when she realizes he’s now suddenly beside her. She looks up at him, which isn’t much of an angle, but gods… “Your, uh… ‘medicine’?” He gestures towards her…

Her shaking hand. “R-right.” She tosses it in so fast that it goes straight down her throat without a need for a drink.

“And… that’s it?” His voice, the heat he is putting out and…

“Yes. H-Hey!” She’s picked up and quickly pinned to the ground, “K-Keaty!”

“...what?” He growls, but stops.

“This is a two-way thing.”

“I don’t get…”

“This is about what the male  **and**  female wants! It’s not just the male. It’s not just the female. This is both sides!”

“Then what am I supposed to do?” Gods, his gaze is just so… a part of her just wants to shut up so he can just go as he pleases.

“Touch me.”

He gives her a flat look, “I was going to do that anyway. I  **am**  doing that…”

“No, I meant… other spots.” Keaty tilts his head at that, “L-like… here.” He gives her some leeway as she guides his hand to her clothed breasts, yet even with the fabric in between his hand and her breast, she still gasps. She then nudges him to start moving his hand, “Haah, K-Keaty…”

He still seems unsure, but repeats the motion regardless. “Now what?”

“O-other hand, please…” She whimpers as his second hand mirrors his first, “G-gods…”

Then he growls. “How long am I to leave your core alone? Hina it’s… so strong.” He gripes more than anything. “I  **want**  to enter now!” She glances down and sees his pulsing member…

It’s about what both want, it’s about… “O-okay…” It’s about finding out how  **that**  will feel. Perhaps it’s due to his beast-race bloodline, but his member is a thick, red, veiny twitching rod of meat. One second she hears the clothing around her core rip, the next he literally just slams it all in at once. An incredibly loud scream of pain, pleasure, and surprise echoes out of her mouth. “D-damn it… could’ve told me.” She swears.

Yet all she sees are eyes of lust. Oh… don’t say he’s already ‘lost in her’! She got a response in the form of his low growling, relentless thrusting, and the occasional howl… if she’d known his length would seem to hit all the right spots, she would’ve just jumped right in. Sure, it sounds ill-fitting for a Princess, but…

She wasn’t exactly the ideal role model for a ‘Princess’ anyway. She’s too tomboyish, “Ah!” And just because her pitch is rising with the Wolfskin alpha’s sex slamming into hers doesn’t make her any less of what she already is. Well that, and she’d rather have Keaty go with the… ‘rough and fast’ rather than ‘gentle and slow’.

Keaty lets out a howl as his already hot member seems to heat up more when it expands and the last thrust goes in. As if his sex wasn’t hot enough already, that’s quickly followed up with a stream of somehow even hotter liquid.

Despite all that, she is left wanting. He had  **his**  climax, so now she wants her own. So, through gritted teeth from the pleasure that hasn’t quite worn off yet, she smirks, “C’mon, you can’t be done yet.”

“I’m making sure it doesn’t…”

“It doesn’t matter, remember? I’m taking birth control!” She bites back.

“...I still need to wait for my knot, then.” He concedes.

“Your ‘knot’?” She echoes, then gasps as he tugs back, but is unable to pull out.

“That.” Due to the two of them being in a tent and so far away from another certain pair, well probably due to the fact that Keaty and Hinoka were so focused on each other… they failed to hear the howl and feminine cry that echoed throughout the rest of the camp.

“Oh.” She groans, “I swear, if I don’t reach my own climax when you go for the second round…”

“Then what? You aren’t in the position to…”

“Let me finish!” Oh, someone is sounding cranky now, “Then I guess I missing a day of training, because I know you sure as heck ain’t finished until I’ve had my own!”

“...So, you don’t mind being unable to walk?”

“Is that a challenge?”

“It’s a fact.”

She lets out a small laugh, “Alright then Keaty. Round two, let’s go!”

One she said that, he growls out one more time before he loses himself… “ **Mine** .”

* * *

On the other hand, unlike Princess Hinoka… Kagero swiftly makes her way from point A to point B. However, also unlike Princess Hinoka, Kagero doesn’t have her own personal tent, so compromises had to be made. The solution seemed simple enough, find a private spot for her and Kaden, and once she brought that up to him, he suggested the nearby forest. “No.” Kagero firmly states. “I’m not having my first time in the woods.”

“Kagero, if we’re anywhere closer, everyone in camp is going to hear us.” He bluntly counters.

Causing her face to flush, “Then don’t be so loud.”

“I got to howl by the end of it, that’s just what happens. Besides, you’re probably going to be the one making more noise.”

“Kaden!” She harshly whispers.

He starts walking to the edge of camp and despite her protests, she follows anyway. “So… what did you need to get?”

“Birth control.”

“Huh?”

“It’ll prevent me from getting pregnant.” She simply explains.

“Oh.” He sounds disappointed.

...Not that she can blame him. “Kaden, as much…”

“Don’t worry, I understand. It’s too dangerous right now to raise offspring.” He gently cuts her off. “Wait… so that’s why you’re willing to do this in the first place?”

“Well, yes… actually.” Kagero slowly nods.

“...but you’re not in heat and,”

“Humans don’t go in heat.” She reminds him.

“Then, how do you know if it’s time to mate?”

“Humans don’t mate, Kaden.” She sighs as they exit the camp. “And it takes a lot of preparation, I need to keep track of things like my temperature in the mornings, my cycle, and…”

She stops as he gives her a strange look. “Is there anything  **I**  need to know when your body is ready?”

The small amount of plains give way to the woods, and… this is probably one of the last places Kagero would guess she’d end up losing her virginity. She looks down and opens the small bag. “Kaden? You’re… going to be careful, right?”

“I can’t promise that, but… at least at the start, I’ll try.” Now he sounds unsure. “I want to make sure you enjoy it, too.”

She nods, then takes a single pill and downs it without issue. “Okay…”

“Kagero?”

“I… I want to do this, it’s… just my first time and I’m worried.” She startles as he had moved back towards her.

“Are you sure? If you don’t, then… I guess I can wait.”

“I told you that I was with Saizo, right? Well, we were at about this point before we decided that this wasn’t for us. So… I suppose I’m more worried that you’re about to think that maybe we… can’t, and… I’m not sure…”

He gently places a hand on her shoulder. “Kagero… this may be a more human way we’re doing this, but… I want to try it your way. So… guide me, okay?”

“There’s not much for me to lead, this  **is**  my first time. Just do what you normally do, I guess.” She cringes… this may be  **her**  first time, but this is far from his first.

“Heh.” He suddenly chuckles, “Are you sure? Would you be alright with me being in my Nine-tails form?”

Her eyes slightly widen and she takes a moment to calm herself, “Th-that’s not what I meant!”

“Hey, Kagero?” He smirks, “I think you look cute when your face is flushed like that.”

“Well, I… mmm.” Kaden leans in for a kiss and Kagero quickly melts into it.

“If you want it slow and gentle… then that’s what I’ll do.” He whispers. “As long as I have control over my urges, I won’t ever go too far and I’ll do what you want me to do.”

“That… sounds good.”

“Are you ready, then?”

She slowly nods, “I am.” His lips crash into hers again as his arms move from her shoulders to wrap around her back. She slightly shivers as one of his hands is already starting to travel around. She returns the gesture with a soft hug of her own, then… honestly more greedily runs her fingers through his still incredibly soft fur. “You… taste so sweet.” She absentmindedly comments.

“And you taste just right.” Oh, oh… “Would it be alright if I went for more?”

She takes in a sharp breath, “Y-yes.” The next moment, she gasps as his hands start deftly undoing the binds to her Ninja garb. Gods, how can this be his first time with a human? No, it’s just that his senses are so honed that he can pick up on signs that even Kagero doesn’t know she’s making. A gentle breeze swishes past her as the garb slowly comes off. Kaden takes a breath and brings his mouth closer to her, almost aggressively tasting her skin. Her legs tremble, but thankfully he’s there to keep her up… then bring her to a nearby tree for support.

She honestly no longer cares that she has snuck off into the forest with Kaden. It’s just him and her. Man and woman.

When she looks down, all she can see is his furred head and… a furiously wagging tail. At least he’s enjoying himself too, then. He continues to slowly drop down until his face is right up against the last thin piece of cloth between him and her core. “Kagero?” He suddenly asks. “Is it okay if I…?”

“Please Kaden. Please…” Contrast to his calm tone, Kagero’s comes out breathy and needy.

“Just wanted to make sure.” He gently whispers as the last piece of clothing slowly comes down. As with the rest of his movements, he carefully places his mouth up to her and…

“G-gods, Kaden!” She hisses… which he takes the wrong way as he stops, “No, d-don’t stop.”

“Kagero?”

“I just… wasn’t expecting that much of a… just, please. Continue.”

“Okay…” With a bit of reassurance, Kaden moves to give her a single, erm, ‘test’ lick. While she does gasp, at least he realizes it’s due to pleasure and not pain. As such, the first lick leads to another, and soon he’s licking at her core like, well… like he would probably lap up water. She’s thankful he placed her against this tree, because gods know she  **needs**  that support now.

Her legs clench around his head as he continues his oral movements and Kagero is doing all she can to not start letting out the loud moans her body wants to make. “K-K-Kaden…” She breathes.

He then slowly rises back up, one hand still traveling, but the other one stays low… on his side. Unlike with her Ninja garb, his hand seems to be having trouble lowering his own pants. “I… I want you.” He says before he holds another kiss.

“Then take me.” As if her words were the spell, his pants finally slip straight off and the first thing he does is thrust forward. “Kaden!” She exclaims, but this time it’s because her legs give out…

But he’s there to hold her. “I got you.” He whispers as he easily holds her whole body up. She uses what strength she has left to both wrap her arms and legs around the Kitsune, which allows him to push in just a bit deeper. “Haah…” Due to her already wet state, Kaden easily slips in and… whew. His member is incredibly hot, not to mention he is very… slick?

It doesn’t change the fact his length seems to be hitting all the right points inside her.

And also due to the foreplay, her body has already been prepped enough, so she ended up having her first orgasm as he was still going. She grits her teeth as her inner walls tighten…

Which causes that ‘howl’ to echo out of Kaden and he reaches his own peak during that time. Several waves of a liquid even hotter than his member shoot inside of her. Though… she can say he was right about something, and that the ‘something’ was the excess of sperm flowing out, effectively coating his sex with his own fluids. “Gods, that was…” Kagero smiles.

“How are you feeling?” Is the first thing he asks.

“Incredible.” She takes a breath. “Kaden… it’s like you knew what to do for me.”

He shrugs, “All I did was listen and look. I noticed the changes when I touched a more sensitive area.” He smugly smiles, “So, uh…”

Oh, he’s still inside her, “Kaden?”

“It’ll take a few minutes. My knot, that is.” A short pause, “It’s supposed to keep it all in, but… it’s been a while. Over a month, actually.”

“Then you’re still… tense?” Due to the fact that the world only seems to consist of each other, they didn’t register the howl and slightly-less-than-feminine moan that echoed out of the Base Camp.

“Kagero. Don’t feel like you have to tell me ‘yes’ just because I want more.” Wow, he really is showing off some serious control.

“And what if I told you to keep going?”

“I’d go for another round.” Oh, and he looks so needy, too.

She… actually wouldn’t mind indulging him, so… “Kaden. I’m giving you my permission now… as long as I’m conscious… keep going.”

He smirks, “Are you sure? Depending on  **your**  resilience, that could mean all night.”

“I’m willing and wanting. Go for it.” And in the name of irony once more, the second she finished her sentence is the second Kaden’s knot went down just enough for him to exit… but by the gods was he  **not**  done yet, taking his still-stiff member into account.

As such, he growls out one last word with the next thrust… before he ends up losing himself, “ **Mine** .”


	61. Dragon Squad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now then, with all of the yiffing out of the way, for most people anyway because I know it's going to be on my mind for awhile… let's return to actual plot, yeah?
> 
> And I'm getting this sense… this feeling that y'all might want a list to keep track of all the (Half)Dragons and respective names. So…
> 
> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother, quickest to draw blood]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister, 'most patient']. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother, Puberty struck hard]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

 

He lets out a draconic roar as he rams his dual-headed member into the bitch, letting his fluids rush into her body. The shifted Wolfskin lets a heavy breath go after leaves a visible bite mark on her neck, alongside all of the other scratches across her body. " **Pomi**." He growls at her. Once his sperm is done being pumped in, he pulls back and walks without a second thought… before lying down to clean off the excess semen around his now softening penis, which is slowly retreating into its slit. A few more moments passed before he shifts back into his human form, completely naked. He takes a breath to steady himself from the recent sexual high. So many females…

And all his.  **All**  of them, every pack. If he wanted to travel to one of the other packs he has control of, and if he wanted to pin down and breed those females, he could.

Just the thought of doing yet another is leaving him wanting more. The bitch he just mated with rolled to her side and just… lies there. She won't even attempt at shifting back for a few days. If it turns out she isn't bearing pups, she'll shift back. If she is, then she's essentially stuck in her Wolfskin form until the pups come out. Another litter of dragon-Wolfskin hybrids… and hopefully there will be little to no 'human-y' offspring.

He already exiled four offspring due to their inability to use a shifting stone.

With his breathing stable again, he walks out into the open… making sure his form is just draconic enough to keep the cloaca normally found in his dragon form. How can male humans walk around with their genitalia openly exposed?

He goes through a set of stretches, then a round of partial shifting. Never safe, always need to be prepared.

Then his ears twitch as he picks up a distant roar… sister? Taking a moment to shift right back into his dragon form, the youngest brother of the brood lets out a roar of his own, though this one is a 'solo', no interference. A second distant roar, and yep… that's eldest sister. Hopefully that means she has news.

So, this would be the obvious point in time when a different bitch approaches him. Now, if his human had a larger influence on his behavior like the youngest sister does, then he would have sent this one away, but he isn't… only the eldest brother is more 'draconic' than him. However, instead of spending his days feasting on human kills, the youngest spends, honestly, more time inside of the bitches' inner walls than he does actually doing things outside of the pack. He growls at the female beside him, who eagerly shifts.

The next moment he pins her to the ground without a thought for how it must feel to her. His dual-headed member comes out once more and after a few misses, he finds the entrance and rams it in with a sexual vigor that only he probably has.

...His hips are probably getting more exercise than a portion of his other body parts.

A sigh sounds out during the middle of his latest breeding session. The eldest sister is within sight and all she does is roll her eyes and waits… before literally snapping at a male who approaches her. "Back off. None of you are worthy of  **me**." She growls.

"If you want her, you need to best me." He adds right as the last thrust is made, releasing his… fourth load today? And he doesn't think he can even count the number of times he already bred with the females. "Totvis?"

[I found her…  **our**  human family.] She sits down, then points at her brown pupil. [Two half-brothers and two half-sisters.]

He huffs, [I don't care about  **them** … where's our sister?]

[Castle Krakenburg, strongpoint of the Nohrians.]

[Do you have a plan?]

[Hoshidan army needs passage, I told them you would let them through.]

He growls, [Not without taking some… payment.]

She sighs, [Don't start this now. You will let them through.] She then gets up and stands at her highest, [Besides, you've been mating so much that you're lacking in training.]

[Dragons will rise again.]

[Yes, I know. I'll spread my legs, present myself, and be bred when  **our sister is safe**! Now, get your ass up and make sure that this army can pass through safely!] She growls.

The youngest brother internally sighs, Utvseie can proclaim that she's the 'most patient' all she wants, but as far as he's concerned, she's the 'most volatile'. [Make sure they know I'm taking  **something**  from them.]

[Qsoeqat…]

[I'm taking something from them, and that's final.]

She growls, but he remains stubborn, [Fine, but anyone like family or leaders or anyone highly important are to be left alone.]

He scoffs, [Those… 'half-siblings' aren't family, there's no dragon blood in them. I don't want leaders, they'll be too defiant. I can't promise I'll want anyone 'important'.]

She points to around the den, [You've got literally dozens of bitches to breed with, and that's  **still**  not enough?!]

He was about to respond immediately, but then a thought crosses his mind, [I've been breeding specifically with Wolfskin so far… I want to hold a Kitsune down.] Two heads are better than one, and those two 'heads' are exactly what Qsoeqat thinks with.

[They've got one.]

[They do?] He raises his head up, [Female?] She nods, [Deal. I claim the female Kitsune, they can pass without issue.]

She sighs, [There's breeding to survive, and then there's you, Qsoeqat. Are you keeping up with your training?]

In response, he stands tall, takes a breath, and lets out a mighty roar, one that doesn't die down for several minutes. He continues until his breath runs out, then he lies back down and adds, [There… I expect to be feeling that Kitsune soon.] She rolls her eyes, but still leaves. He then smirks… Oh yes. His first Kitsune. How will she feel when compared to a Wolfskin? They  **are**  smaller, after all… oh and Kitsunes are adapted to speed, now… while he's waiting, he's going to think how best to savor that first…

He glances to the side. After he takes care of that female Wolfskin.

* * *

Utvseie pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs as she re-enters the Hoshidan Base Camp. Her brood's little brother is such a… sex addict. She hears a lust-filled roar before she gets there, she  **sees**  him breeding when she arrives, and then there's another lust roar as she leaves. He bred three times in half an hour! Still, she can't deny that there are more dragon-blood offspring coming into the world.

Now then, unlike last time, the gate guards just let her in and she smoothly goes from the entrance over to her… half-brother. She wonders if he's figured it out yet. First, however, she notices several things… one is that there are two sources of rather intense, of all things, sources of  **musk** , great. More hormone-driven people. This time it's two of the beast-folk, the male Wolfskin… without the purple fur, and the male Kitsune. Their mates are nowhere near them.

Next is that this place actually looks alive, soldiers are moving from one point to another, carrying supplies and such. The third is that, well… she turns on her heel, summons her lance, and rips part of the pants off of a human who  **thinks**  he is out of sight. "Do that again, and I won't miss." She snarls at the man with a scar over one of his eyes.

"Oh-ho, Saizo… living on the edge, are we?"  **Another**  one-eye man walks up, but this one has an eyepatch. "Hello, ma'am… I heard you lectured the High Prince of Hoshido… you must be quite the dominant woman, hm?"

"Why do you males have to be so sex-driven?"

"Oh, it's not just the ladies I adore…" He winks.

She gives him a flat look, "If you try anything to sexually provocative me, I'll slice your genitals off, understand?"

Thankfully, he cringes, "Y-yes, of course."

Huffing, Utvseie turns back towards her original direction and looks for Ryoma. She swears, if she didn't have the level of patience that she has… "Ryoma?" She asks out loud.

"Oh, it's you…" One of the male humans she remembers seeing, but didn't talk to, walks up to her. The only thing she notes is his bow, as it has a glowing light-blue string. "I see you've returned." Utvseie internally sighs, one of her 'half-brothers', someone she already doesn't like. So she stays silent and just walks past him, "H-Hey! It's rude to…"

"I came here for Ryoma, not you." She cuts him off, then tries to pick up the scent of Ryoma, where  **is**  he?

"He's busy training, as are most people this early."

"Training grounds, then? Alright." She shortly hones her senses and quickly locates the more potent source of 'clanging' and sweat. "Thanks." She walks off again.

"I  **said**  he's busy! Gods…" The man gripes.

Utvseie rolls her eyes… she can't believe she's related to  **him**. She has pity on whoever the mother is, because there's no way their father is that whiny. Regardless, once the training grounds comes into view, she pushes him out of her thoughts and focuses on the reason why she came back… Ryoma. He seems to be doing some light training with a female… brown hair, a training katana, and some wrappings over her midsection. She's breathing rather heavily, considering what she's actually doing. There's also another woman close by, holding a Festal, two long pigtails that reach past her waist, with purple ribbons circling it.

"Ngh…" The katana-wielding woman grunts as she swings her weapon, before stumbling at the last motion.

"Hana!" The Festal-using woman rushes towards Hana. "Oh gosh, I told you not to push yourself too hard…"

"I need to…" Hana starts.

"We'll resume later, Hana." Ryoma speaks, before tilting his head at the half-dragon, "Utvseie, come." He places the training katana to the side and Utvseie approaches him. Then, of all things, he takes an unarmed stance.

"My youngest brother…"

He smirks, "We can talk while we spar."

She narrows her eyes, "I'll floor you in seconds. I came here to deliver news."

That smirk didn't leave, "I bet it'll take you longer than… a minute."

She raises an eyebrow, "I'll take that bet later, but we need to move. Now."

"Everything is still being prepared to be moved, we got time."

Utvseie sighs, "Alright, where's that female Kitsune, then?"

"Selkie?"

"I don't know names."

"I'm… not sure. But, if I may ask…"

"My youngest brother will let you all pass through the packs… if he can mate with a Kitsune."

"Wh-what?"

"He is one of the most sex-driven beings you'll ever meet. Within the half hour I was in the area, he mated three times."

And now a slight flush has formed on Ryoma's face. "That's absurd."

"And I wouldn't be surprised if he's been mounting a female everytime his penis is ready."

"Utvseie…"

"What?"

"This isn't the type of topic that should be spoken in public."

Utvseie crosses her arms. "Selkie, right? I'll go…"

"Wait!" She sighs as he calls her out. "You've said that Lupus is your sister, right?"

"Ztisepzy is my sister."

He shakes his head, "Whichever name, but that's not what I was getting at. I was just curious, because of that brown eye color you have…"

"I don't know my father."

Ryoma takes a deep breath, "I always had an… innate feeling that Corrin wasn't what he said she was. She's always been far more different than the rest of my siblings."

"What's your point?"

"There's one thing that I remember seeing that my father kept protected with magical wards and various sorts of measures that prevents natural decay. I never understood why and he would never explain…" He closes his eyes for a moment, then reopens them, "It was a fragmented leathery egg, the top half looked like it was chipped away."

Utvseie looks away for a moment, then returns her gaze to him, "Alright, when I said your blood smells similar, it's that we share relatives… and considering that you claim my eye color matches yours and your father, then we might share a father."

"Then… we're siblings." He smiles.

"...mother still must have been desperate to mate with a human." She sneers.

He either didn't really 'hear' that, or he's too focused on what he's thinking, "This would make you Hoshidan royalty, you are aware of that, correct? You and our sisters would be Princesses, while our brothers are Princes."

A thought crosses her mind, "Well… I hope you're ready for  **a lot**  of children. Qsoeqat, the youngest brother, is going to be bringing them in by half a dozen. He's mated with at least four Wolfskin packs worth of females… and he's getting them pregnant every chance he can get."

"Um…"

"So, since he's a 'Hoshidan Prince', that means the 'Royal bloodline' will probably be in the hundreds by the time he's done." And now he is uncomfortable… perfect. "Now, I'm going to find that vixen so  **our**  brother can stick his draconic member into yet another female." She smiles as she walks away. Sure, she may not exactly like being related to pure-blooded humans, but it did feel good to make him feel so uncomfortable.

However, the sad part is that she wasn't exaggerating. The Hoshidan Royal family will be in the hundreds before Qsoeqat's sex life is over.

* * *

She slowly opens her eyes and looks around the 'inn', a… public cave of sorts. She rises up out of the bed and stretches… causing the blanket to fall off and revealing her bare body. She might be the most 'human' out of her brood, but she's still draconic enough to not worry about nudity. "Silas…?" Her voice comes out in her usual whisper. See, unlike her siblings, she  **can't**  roar, as for whatever reason, her throat didn't develop as it should have. Simply put, talking 'loud' hurts.

She rubs her throat as she remembers the last time she yelled, and she actually whimpers at the memory.

She walks around the room, noting that Silas's scent goes past the door. Now, she may not be bothered by lack of clothes, but she knows humans wouldn't agree with that, so she looks for something to put on. Wait, where are  **her**  clothes? One quick sniff shows that the trail… also leads outside. Did… did he just steal her clothes? No, he's too nice and…

Oh, he's probably getting them washed. She nods to herself and walks over to the mirror. She is met with almost an identical look to her oldest sister, except that both of her eyes are red. Actually, now that she thinks about it, Utvseie is the only one with a brown-colored eye. Wait, wait… something 'clicks' and she frantically looks around.

Her  **Dragonstone**  was in her clothes! Now worried, she paces around to look for something else to wear, she doesn't care what. Oh please Silas, keep that stone on you, keep that… "Ah, you're u- **Ah!** " Silas walks in and his pitch suddenly rises when he sees her bareness. "Um, I'm so sorry ma'am. I…" She quickly turns towards him, walks closer, and pulls him in so she can close the door. The next thing she does is search his body. "Ma'am?" He asks through closed eyes.

In response, she rises up and to his ear, "I… had stone… there."

"Oh… you mean this amethyst?" He asks, before reaching into his chest armor, "Here you go."

She quickly snatches it and holds it close to her chest, then breathes a sigh of relief. "Thanks… not throwing it."

He looks slightly confused, "Why would I throw it away? That was in your clothes."

"Because… not clothes?" She looks past him, "Where are?"

"You didn't see the note I left on the table?" Silas points her towards a moderately sized round table… while also making sure to not look at her.

"Note?" She then pulls away and walks towards the table and picks up the 'note'. She twists and flips it around a number of times.

"Um… you can read, right?" She turns around and tilts her head, then present the paper and points it at. "Oh gods, I'm so sorry. It's just… since you can talk, I assumed you could read, too." She walks back towards him, and his face flushes, "Could you please also get some clothes from the drawer?"

"Drawer?" She then shakes her head.

"The tall wooden thing with… ma'am?" He looks up.

"Guide… me? Don't know… much words." She grabs his arm and tugs on it some. "Please?"

"S-sure." He leads her over to that wooden thing, "So… what size do you normally wear?"

As usual, she stands on her tip-toes to get near his ear, "Size?"

"Uh, yeah…" She looks down at her own body.

"My size."

He nods, "What is your size?"

"My size."

"No, I mean what is the numbers in your size?"

She takes a short breath, "I… don't understand."

Silas sighs, "Alright, let's just go through the nightgowns… you can afford to get something too large and be fine with them." He pulls out a section of the 'drawer' and gets some clothing, "How about this?"

She reaches out and grabs it, "Soft…" She smiles as she holds it close. "I like soft." That is, until she sniffs it and coughs, "Smells bad." She holds it back out.

"I understand things might not smell too good right now… but until your clothes are done being washed, it's either stay here or wear one of these."

She looks back at the soft-feeling, bad-smelling 'nightgown', "I don't like it when I'm alone." She frowns. "I miss family." She then looks up at Silas, "Silas stays with me?"

He rubs the back of his neck, "Ma'am, I can't bring you into the castle with me, I…" Tears start forming in her eyes, "There will be serious repercussions if I don't report what happened."

She holds the nightgown close again, "I want sisters and brothers…"

He takes a breath, "Were they in the village?" She shakes her head, "Do you know where they are?"

Another shake, alongside a whimper. "Brother said… spread out. I don't know."

"Spread out? Then you were forced apart?"

"Not forced, chose to. Trying to… find sister. Missing." She rubs the nightgown, then finally slips it over her.

"Can I help you find her? What does she look like?"

"I… don't know. Never seen her. Mother said she… father raised her. Not raised with the rest of us." A pause, "Mother said name is… Ztisepzy."

He tilts his head, "I'm sorry… what was her name?"

"Ztisepzy." She licks her lips, "Yseranyx."

He nods, "That is a rather strange name… so, maybe that can work to our advantage." He offers his hand, "Shall we get something to eat, ma'am?"

She looks at his hand, then smiles… so nice, so kind. She feels herself heat up a bit as she grabs it, "Silas…" She uses her other hand to point at herself, "Name, Cimmefuppe."

"Cimm...e...fuppe? Ma'am, I can't help but imagine you're speaking some archaic language with names like that."

A pause, then she nods, "In current… Belladonna."

He startles, then slowly nods, "I think I'd rather say Cimme...fuppe. So, let's go get some food, okay?"

...Why did he look so concerned? What's wrong with her name in their language?

* * *

Lupus huffs as she's taken to the baths alongside Lilith. Now that she's recovered, it's time for her to be properly cleaned… before probably being sent off for another 'arena fight'. "Shh, Lupus." Lilith coos as the half-dragon dips into the warm water.

"I like my water cold…" Lupus gripes.

"Cold water isn't good for your dragon side, Lupus."

"I like my water cold." She repeats. "Can't you use your magic to make it cold?"

"No." She firmly states, "I understand you have a human side, and that your human allows you to tolerate it, but cold temperatures are bad for us."

"They always felt good to me." She huffs again, then crosses her arms.

"Lupus… partially shift." A short pause, "I promise you won't ever lose control if I'm around."

"Fine." She forms a shield, "Now what?" A few seconds pass before Lupus feels an intense,  **freezing**  feeling. " **Lilith**!"

"Exactly." The cold immediately fades. "Cold water has negative effects on dragons."

Lupus whimpers. "Didn't have to go that far…" A pause, "But why?"

"It's just how our bodies are." Lilith starts rubbing her down.

"That's a stupid weakness." However, right then, Lupus feels a soothing warmth flow through her… then she notices that the water is steaming hot, but… it doesn't feel that hot.

"Better?"

"Yeah…" Lupus sinks into the water some more.

"Alright, now partially shift again."

Lupus hesitates for a half-second, then forms her shield again and, "Oh… that's even better."

She hears Lilith giggle, but she doesn't really care right now… even when the water heats up even more, it's just… paradise. "So, how about some more details on dragons?" She hums as her scrubbing becomes a whole lot rougher.

"S-sure… whatever you want. How about… magic?"

"As in Wild Magic?"

"Just… magic. I've never studied it or anything."

"Really? That's strange." Lilith moves a bit further down her back, "Were you exposed to a lot of magic while growing up?"

She shakes her head, "It's all been physical stuff while in the pack."

"Well, when did you first form that… dragon's maw in your partial shifting?"

"I'm… not too sure?" Honestly, it's due more to this amazing bath that Lupus isn't exactly thinking straight. "Why?"

"It's just that your maw seems to be an adaptation for a countermeasure when fighting magic. You… 'ate' those spells."

"I did, didn't I?" She tilts her head, then shivers as Lilith starts working on her sides, "I didn't even know I could do that. Oh… Lilith? What can you do with magic?"

"Lupus… if I were to go over that entire list, it would be several hours before I'm finished." She then startles as Lupus grabs her arms, "Um… did I hit a sore spot?"

"How much do you know about human stuff?" She turns her head to look at Lilith.

"Quite a bit, actually… I have been living alongside them for about two and a half thousand years now."

Lupus tilts her head and clenches her legs, "Oh right, you've been around a long time…" She pauses, "How many times have you gone into heat?"

Lilith closes her eyes, sighs, and opens them again, "You're in heat, aren't you?" Lupus sheepishly smiles. "There's not anything I can really do about that. So, unless you're willing to bend over for one of the wyverns Matriarch Azura has, then you're just going to have to deal with it."

"Lilith… it doesn't have to be a male for me. I had sex with Seta and the urge went away."

"I'm not doing that, Lupus. Now, let me finish washing you."

Lupus frowns, huffs, crosses her arms, and looks forward again, "Fine… I'll take a wyvern. I hate dealing with the mood shifting and all of this other stuff that…"

"Mood shifting? The only thing you should be feeling is an urge to mate and having an intense scent." She sniffs the air, "Which you do."

"It's part of being a human."

Lilith nods, "So… mate with a wyvern?"

"I'll mate with a wyvern."

* * *

Contradicting the scene around him… the half-dragon sighs as he thrusts his shifted lance into the human he's holding. "Useless…" The man chokes up blood as the half-dragon simply drops him, before rounding on the rest that are cowering in the corner. "I'm asking a simple question." He raises his bloodied lance at the three, "Have you seen her?"

"W-w-w-w-we never h-heard of her… please, sir!" The oldest male of the group speaks up, the younger looking female has a child in her arms, cradled. Must be a mother.

The middle brother of the brood then, almost lazily, glances at the three dead bodies near him, "And it took you that long to say that?" He returns his gaze at the eldest human. "A waste of my time." He scoffs, "I can't believe your kind actually killed as many of my kind as you did…"

"Grandfather…" The woman whines, then the child cries.

"Whining, complaining, it's like each and every one of you is a  **child**!" Despite him 'yelling', he sounds more bored and distant than anything. "It's 'fight or flee', not cower in the corner as you watch your family die around you!" The lance shifts into his maw, "I doubt you three are even worth properly digesting…"

"Wh-wh-what?! Sir please, don't… don't…" The woman openly cries.

"Spare us, pl…"

The middle brother closes his eyes, sighs, then glares at them, "I'll make sure your life energies are at least put to some use, if that offers you three any comfort." He opens his shifted maw, which drips a clearly acidic watery-liquid, as it burns straight through the floor. "Duptani…" He closes the small gap and snaps his maw around the top halves of the three… however, due to the child's stature, meant only his head was bitten off. Not that it mattered. The acidic water seemed to multiply and spread down and around the bodies.

Their life is essentially being turned into a direct source of energy for him: clothes, bones, organs… everything. However, this doesn't replace the need to eat, as this only provides him with energy itself, rather than the nutrients he would have otherwise gotten. He shakes his head and kicks the broken door out of the way. Another village… nothing.

The mountains are so far away now, so many villages have fallen, yet somehow not a single human knows about the brood's missing sister. "This is getting so dull." He lazily turns away from the mountains and even further into this… what did those guards call this place? Hoshido? Shrugging his shoulders, the middle brother delves further into this…

His ears twitch as he picks up crying. Oh, he forgot one. Part of him doesn't want to waste the effort, the other wants to kill. Sighing, he turns towards the source of the crying. A few turns later and he lazily walks up to some small woman, kneeling over an older and frankly fatter woman's corpse. "M-M-Mother…" She holds the other's hand. She then startles and scampers back after he takes another, intentionally louder, step. "G-G-Gods…" She cowers, because of course she does.

Another disinterested sigh, "I'm going to ask you one time. I'm looking for a missing sister of my brood, she'll probably look just like me. Have  **you**  seen her?" He removes the partially shifted parts of his body. " **Look**  at me and answer!" Again, his raised voice still sounds… monotone.

She slowly looks up, removes her trembling hands… and her eyes widen. The middle brother raises an eyebrow… recognition. She slowly nods, "It's… been a f-f-few months, I th-think… but, y-yes."

"Where?" He closes the distance and she cowers again.

"Sh-she wanted sumthing our village c-couldn't provide and…" She chokes on a sob.

He groans, " **Where**  did she go?"

"I d-directed her towards Sh-Shirasagi, Hoshido's capital!" She pulls back.

Finally, something useful! "Show me."

"I-It's…"

"Oh no. You're going to physically show me." He closes the distance and she freezes on the spot, "If you run. If you scream. If you  **lie** …" He forms his maw, "I will turn you into a snack, understand?" She is heavily shaken, and all she can do is nod. "Good. Now go!  **Move**!" He grabs her by her ragged clothes and shoves her forward. She stumbles forward and slowly guides him along. "Faster, woman!"

"I-I-I…" And she falls.

Pathetic. "Get. Up." He grabs her by her clothes again, but this time his nails rip straight through it and off goes a chunk of her shirt.

"Y-Y-Y-You killed the rest, why…?" She turns and gets to see nothing but an open maw.

"You aren't even worth the effort to kill, that's why. You're just a being of bones and very minimal meat." Her eyes follow the drops of digestive liquid as it sizzles on the ground. "If I'm going to take the time to digest you… I'd fatten you up first. Now.  **Move**!" The maw snaps so hard that it blows some of her hair back.

She nods, "Y-Yes, sir…" She looks at him for a moment with that tear-stained face adorned with freckles. She then take a breath, "Would you m-mind calling me b-by my name, then?" He remains silent, "Um… my name is Mozu… what's yours?"

"Naleptjep."

* * *

Pimtvsetbe looms over a sea of blood and corpses. He didn't even bother with asking the last two villages he went though and slaughtered, he just… doesn't care. Sure at first, he'd 'round up' the weaker humans and demand information, but as his kill count got higher, he started killing just to kill. Besides, humans deserve it, they're the ones that pushed dragons back so much. So what if another village is brought down? There are more than enough humans for them to spawn another worthless generation.

However, he resolved to actually interrogate the next village.

"D-Damn you… monster!" Oh look, one of them is still breathing and actually willing to  **do something**. The soldier lumbers towards Pimtvsetbe, wearily holding a sword. "You will… pay for this!"

He tilts his head, smiles, then taps into his Dragonstone to shift. "I won't." His voice echoes with the transformation. "Consider this revenge for all the lives your kind took from mine."

"Hyaaah!" He foolishly charges…

Then is planted onto the ground as Pimtvsetbe simply knocks him down. "You'll barely be worth the energy… but I suppose I could always use the nutrients."

The man's face pales, "Wh-what do you… ah…  **Ah**!" Pimtvsetbe's maw clamps down around the man, just enough to prevent him from moving. He then swings his head up and lets a combination of his saliva and natural forces drag the human down into his waiting stomach.

"Hmph…" Pimtvsetbe gracelessly burps. "Might as well eat my fill while I'm at it…" Moving over to one of the other corpses, he repeats the process: clamp down, tilt head up, swallow. It took about four humans before he deemed his stomach full. Then he stretches, yawns, and lies down on the spot in a shallow pool of blood. Now, since he ate as much as his dragon form will allow, Pimtvsetbe is going to have to rest for a while until his stomach digests enough… so that when he shifts back into his human form, his stomach won't burst. "Meat is still meat, after all." He curls up and slowly falls asleep…

With that one human's protests finally starting to die down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so first up we got… oh my. *ahem* Welp, that's the youngest brother for ya! First line we all get is him breeding a female. I actually gave his name a bit of thought, and for the sake of irony… I turned towards a list of gods who are considered 'of lust' and the like. So, Qsoeqat is Priapus in English, which goes over to Greek mythology for a 'minor rustic god fertility god' and while I could've chose other ones… this one is depicted with a 'permanent, over-sized erection' and… yep. Alright, I got the youngest brother's name now. I think it's pretty fitting. Anyway, so now the army has a safe passage. In exchange for the energetic Selkie. Does her boundless energy extend to mating? Will she be the one who will finally wear Qsoeqat out?
> 
> ...Did I overdo his sex drive?
> 
> Ooo, double half-dragon PoV, since Utvseie is next. We went from the youngest brother to the eldest sister! Oh and… more sexual references are sprinkled throughout hers. There's one for both Kaden and Keaton for their heavy scents of musk, there's one for Niles and his perverse nature, and lastly there's referencing Qsoeqat's incredibly high sex drive. See? Kaden has nothing on him.
> 
> And we go for a third one! The youngest sister is here with some awkward moments… and with her, the reason why she's so quiet. Which, ouch… I feel really bad for her now. Then it follows up with, uh, 'Lupus shenanigans'... her being nonchalant with her nudity. And Silas being uncomfortable with it. I suppose in context of Corrin builds, Cimmefuppe would be the 'younger' version. So on top of seeing a naked woman, she's actually kinda like a loli. With that, I'm sure you all can get why Silas is really bothered by it. Oh! Speaking of her name… the English version is Belladonna, hm…
> 
> Am I doing the entire Dragon Squad? Now we have Lupus… taking a bath. Oh, and y'all got some extra information on draconic things… before the topic of heat and mating comes up. Again. It must be the after effects from typing up that double-sex scene last chapter. Heh.
> 
> Alright, I guess I am. The middle brother! And he seems… bored. A distinct disinterest in what he's doing, but hey… at least you all got to see the maw's digestive properties in action! And, oh… he's at that village. Poor Mozu, her mother is d-e-d, ded and due to her… 'bony' figure, she now gets to lead him to Shirasagi and… whew. I wonder how that's gonna go? And I gave his name a bit more thought… except this time it's just a simple translate. In Draconic the middle brother's name is Naleptjep… which equals Mukanshin, and that is Japanese (according to Google Translate, so take that with a grain of salt) for 'Uninterested'. I think it's fitting…
> 
> Lastly is… the eldest brother and, well. That's a bloodbath, yeah? And we got to see the most… gruesome of all the scenes. Sure, Nalaptijep might have used his maw to do the 'direct energy' digestion… but Pimtvsetbe outright shifted into his dragon form, then proceeded to swallow about four humans whole. Erm, he vored them. ;)
> 
> So, there you go… the Dragon Squad. Six brood members, each with their own quirks. Qsoeqat is the sex addict. Utvseie is the 'most patient', but let's be honest… she really isn't. Cimmefuppe is obviously the most patient… and the gentlest, so… how does 'Belladonna' tie in? Yseranyx (Lupus) well, we should all know about her by now. Naleptjep and his… distant nature. Then there's Pimtvsetbe, who is the most violent.


	62. Saved by the Scale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well then…
> 
> Anyway, now we got a full Draconic name list!
> 
> Ooo, also there are the return of some flashbacks, and since it's been so long since the last one, "The dialogue appears in italics," and are guaranteed to be in the past tense!
> 
> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

 

 

Silky's ears perk up as she stretched her body, then yawned. "Mmm…" She hums, then actually gets up and shakes her body. "That was fun!" She giggles, then looks over to see that Vella is still very much asleep. So she pokes her, "Vella~?" Silky huffs after the third-something attempt. "Aw, don't do this to me…" Then she smiles anyway, "Aw, it's alright. You are  **so**  much fun and I really enjoyed myself!" A pause, "Alright Vella, I'll… see ya later!" With one last stretch, Silky walks back to the Hoshidan Base Camp, where maybe… just maybe she can poke that one Wolfskin enough for playtime. Dadaan? The not-alpha Wolfskin. Her ears twitch and she turns around to see… "Aw, wait a minute… you're not Lu-pu. I mean you smell kinda like Lu-pu though and look kinda like her well except Lu-pu doesn't that one brown eye you have because Lu-pu has two shiny red eyes and she also doesn't look as pouty as you do but when I say pouty I don't mean the normal type of pout because your pout doesn't look anything like that even though I can't really explain it right now." She finally takes a breath, "So… what's your name?"

"Utvseie." The Not-Lupus replies.

"Untevesee?" Silky tilts her head.

"Utvseie."

The vixen quickly nods, "That's what I said, Untevesee." Said woman sighs as she grits her teeth, "My name is Silky…"

"I see you're energetic." Untevesee starts off with.

"Wanna play?" Silky literally starts bouncing in place. "Vella's tired and I want another person to play with for hours and hours!"

The other raises an eyebrow, "Silky? I think I know someone who can do that for you."

"Really? Who, who!"

"He's my brother."

"Ooo, you have a brother, too? I got one and his name is Ka-da and he was the alpha of the hamlet we grew up in but then bad things happened later and we were attacked and now it's only me and him but when we were at our most dangerous point this awesome woman swooped in and saved Ka-da and then they both and saved me and this woman's name is Lu-pu and she's a very fun to play with and you should've seen how she sent Ka-da skipping across a lake and the whole time we…"

"Silky."

"A-yep?" The Kitsune's tail is furiously wagging.

"Have you ever mated yet?"

"Wha-? Pfft, no." She giggles, "Mating means kits and being all bloated and not able to play!"

Something glints in her eyes, "Well, I'm sure you'll be glad to know that mating is one of the most energy-consuming things you can do."

"Really~?" She tilts her head. "Ka-da thinks I can't run out of energy!"

"Oh really?" Untevesee smiles, "Okay, how about this… you let my brother mate with you until he tires out… and if you still think that there are better things you can do… then you can leave."

"Okay… and if mating is a better energy spender?"

She shrugs, "You'll be his mate."

Silky hums, bobs her head, then smiles while showing off her fangs and quickly nods, "Alright, he's on. Lemme warn you though, he's gonna lose!" Silky twirls in place, "So… where's he at?"

Untevesee tilts her head and starts walking, "This way."

"Okay!" Silky then speeds ahead… "Well, hurry up!" Untevesee closes her eyes for a moment, sighs, then  **sprints**  past Silky. "Oh… you're on!"

Well, let's see if this 'brother' can wear her out!

* * *

Queen Mikoto is currently in the throne room, alongside her tactician, Yukimaru… her retainer, Orochi… and Saizo's younger brother, Kaze. Not to mention the royal guards that line the edges of the room. She and the three others are deciding on a few final matters. The current stalemate is setting Yukimaru on edge more than anyone else. It  **could**  be a sign that both sides are playing too defensively…

But taking Nohr's typical brutality into account, this is something they all disagree on. So, the next and frankly more worrying option is that Nohr is diverting resources for the offensive to something more underhanded.

Which  **does**  sound like something Nohr would do.

The problem is simply figuring out what they could do. The main road has the Hoshidan Base Camp, which is as close as a fortress as they can get. The mountains are patrolled by Pegasi Knights, not to mention the numerous Wolfskin and Kitsune settlements strewn on either side. So, aside from the more absurd theories, there's not much Nohr can reasonably do. The most 'probable' scenario is to burn a path through the mountains.

Mikoto knows it's a real issue when even Yukimaru is at a loss. Kaze is more here for the second they need a message delivered, and Orochi… well, besides her being the Queen's retainer, Mikoto is also placing hope that one of her fortunes comes through.

However, after about an hour of approaching this potential threat at literally every single angle… "Let's take a short break." Mikoto declares. "Perhaps some tea and a few minutes with fresh air will get something to click."

Kaze is the first to respond, "I'll fetch two kettles of tea and a few trays of snacks." And just like that, he's gone.

"I'll check and see if there are any recent reports to rely on…" Yukimaru bows, "after I take a few moments to stroll in the gardens."

"Orochi?" The Queen asks as she notes her Diviner fanning and closing her cards.

"If it's alright with you… I think I'd rather spend my break by your side." A smirk forms. "Besides, there's no way to…" A pause follows.

"Orochi?" She repeats.

The Diviner raises a finger, fans out her cards once more, then plucks one out. Oh… something is better than, "Oh, okay…"

"Was it too vague?" While her fortunes are never necessarily wrong… they tend to take some forethought and assumptions to figure out.

"No, it's not that…" She clears her throat, "We're going to have an important visitor, it's just…" She taps a finger on her lips, "The vision was distorted, but I could've sworn it looked just like Lady Corrin…"

"My daughter?" Mikoto breaths… before her mind starts racing. Surely it couldn't be her, right? She was reported to be in Krakenburg, so unless she broke out on her own… no. Or… oh.

"My liege?"

She shakes her head, "Then prepare for that visitor… announce for Lady Corrin's appearance, but  **not**  her name."

She twirls her hair, clearly confused, "But… there's only one Lady Corrin." Mikoto levels 'the look' at her, "I mean… yes, Your Highness." Orochi begins walking, turns to give her one more look, then actually leaves.

_"Aw, she's adorable!"_  Mikoto cood as her husband brought in a baby girl… strangely with a set of red eyes and several pure-white strands of hair.

Yet, Sumeragi's face remained strangely stern.  _"My love? I…"_  He paused as his face twisted with concern.

She raised an eyebrow as the newborn was brought to her,  _"Is something wrong?"_

_"We're going to need to raise her."_

And now Mikoto tilted her head,  _"Oh, so she was adopted?"_

He shook his head,  _"No, but I'm afraid it's also more complicated than that… the mother allowed me… us to parent this child."_

Concern now lined her face,  _"What do you mean 'allowed'?"_  He parted the blanket surrounding the girl, which revealed something truly unique…

Scales.  _"I'm sorry, I can't explain. I know, I've taken my vows to give you my all and to share all of my life… but she's going to have to be the one exception. My love? We need to raise her as our own, we need to act as if we bonded to create this…"_

She nodded,  _"Okay. I will."_

_"Truly?"_

_"I trust you."_  She then giggled,  _"Is that so hard to believe?"_

_"It's just… she'll be so different than the rest."_

_"And I'm fine with that. Sure, she may not be my daughter by blood… but if we're going to raise her, then I'll consider her my daughter… but, if I may ask just one thing. The mother… is she okay? I mean, she didn't die while giving birth, right?"_

He quickly shook his head,  _"No, she's alive and well."_

_"Good… and I'll pray she will have many more years of peaceful living, wherever she may be."_  She rubbed the baby girl's stomach, which is a strange sensation with those scales on her,  _"Did she already have a name picked out?"_

_"Yes, but… we need to give her a different name. I'm sorry, it's incredibly complicated."_

Unperturbed by his worries, she smiled,  _"Then how about… Corrin?"_

And her lack of worry seemed to ease him,  _"Corrin sounds lovely."_

To which she turned towards the girl,  _"And how about you? Would you like to be called Corrin?"_  The baby girl giggled,  _"I believe we have a unanimous verdict."_  Mikoto held the girl close, because she meant what she said… she'll raise this baby as if she were her own daughter.

Then she was brought out of her thoughts by Orochi clearing her throat, "My liege?  **He**  may have arrived… now, actually."

Mikoto blinks her eyes, taking a second to register that, "Oh, very well. Do bring her in."

"My liege? This person is clearly a male."

The Queen then frowns for a moment, "Oh… my apologies, Orochi. I just… had a memory of my daughter resurface. Do bring him in." Orochi raises an eyebrow, clearly concerned, but nods and walks off again. The mother takes a breath, "So… she does have siblings. I prayed, I'm still praying that her… their mother is well." She quietly speaks. The throne room doors soon open once more… and as for who all but storms in?

Well…

* * *

Nalaptijep didn't like any of this. The 'city', the 'market', none of the humans around him, and definitely not all of the slowly decaying resources. All of that energy that could have been put to actual use, just… sitting there. The village girl is still leading the way, but thankfully she stopped trembling so much.

She really isn't worth snacking on, even with the direct energy conversion with his partially shifted maw. Too many bones and not enough fat to go around… she'd provide too little. On the other hand, however, there were plenty of humans out here who could have their life energies put to better use. The only thing keeping him from forming his maw and digesting them is simple…

His sister is, or at least has been through here. It has to be the latter, because he can't pick up a single trace of her scent. "U-um, Mister… Nalaptijep?" The village girl turns to look at him, "I… I d-don't really know where to go from…"

He levels a glare at her, which causes her to shrink back, "Stay quiet, and you can walk."

Desperate, she quickly nods, "U-Understood."

"Leave." She scurries off.

...Pathetic. Shrugging his shoulders, Nalaptijep resumes walking. Alright, now that he's in the general area, but without any scent to go off of, he looks around, trying to grasp an assumption. Unfortunately, Ztisepzy was raised by their human father, which means she won't act the same… so, she wouldn't go to the same place as the rest of the brood would.

Simply put, he doesn't know where she would go.

"Pardon me, sir?" Sighing Nalaptijep turns to look at the latest annoyance.

"Yes?" Some green hair man with leather-focused battle garbs is looking at him.

The other man startles after seeing him… recognition. "The Queen of Hoshido wishes to see you."

The… Queen? Female ruler? "Then lead." Is all Nalaptijep replies with. This man leads, and Nalaptijep follows.

_"Nz csuuf…"_  Their mother spoke while lying down in their den.

_"Nuvjis."_  Four of the five responded, while Cimmefuppe simply looked up and walked a bit closer, as for whatever reason… she can't talk at all.

_[Dragons lay eggs in sets of six.]_  She started off with,  _[Your sister is alive and well, as I had left her with your father. I allowed him to raise her under the condition that her heritage is never to be spoken of.]_

_[Why?]_  Nalaptijep asked.

_[Her name is Ztisepzy… it was part of the deal. My brood… I needed to find a mate. I specifically am being hunted down by a female human with extensive magical knowledge… and information on dragons. No matter how I approached our few fights, she always had a counter.]_

_[Then we'll kill her!]_  The eldest brother quickly responded.

_[No.]_  Their mother rose off the ground and stood her tallest, almost filling the entire den with her draconic form,  _[She is to be avoided!]_  A paw slammed on the ground.

_[Mother…?]_  The eldest sister trails off.  _[Will we ever get to see our sister?]_  Unlike the others, she's the only one with a brown-colored eye.

_[It's possible.]_  Their mother lied back down,  _[Just know she won't be the same. She may even be too wrapped up in her human family to accept you all… and if that's so, then don't push her. If she's happy where she is, leave her be.]_  She curled up.  _[Dragons have adapted many ways over the thousands of years we've been here. This is simply another one. We're going to have to strive to get along with the humans in some form. Even if it's doing as I did… mate once and never see that one again.]_

_[For our sisters, sure… but we're going to need more than one time to assure the dragons live on.]_  This time it's the youngest brother,  _[Besides, if we need mates that aren't dragons… why not just go to the Wolfskin or Kitsune? That would be…]_

_[_ ** _Qsoeqat_** _, enough!]_  Their mother growled.  _[The Wolfskin and Kitsune are hunted as we are… if dragon-beast hybrids starting showing, then that would give the humans even_ ** _more_** _reason to hunt them down!]_  The youngest brother deflated.

"Sir?" The green-hair man snaps Nalaptijep out of his thoughts, "We're here."

"Hmph." Nalaptijep huffs. "And we got to see how much he followed her suggestion…" He mutters.

"Sir?"

"Not you." He rounds a glare on him, before looking back at the door. He moves to push it open and… "...thank you." He gruffly regards him, before finally entering. The first thing Nalaptijep notices is that this room is relatively lacking in guards… he would think that the ruler of these humans would have more protection than just three or four spread out.

"Ah-ha! As always, my fortunes are correct!" Some woman with purple hair smiles at him.

"By the gods… you  **do**  look just like her." A black hair woman gasps, sitting on the throne.

Nalaptijep simply walks forward, eyes trained on her. "You know my sister."

She nods, "Upon seeing you now… yes. There are so many…"

"Where is she?!" As always, his 'yelling' is not that loud and he sounds more monotone than anything.

"You will address…"

"Orochi, no." Well then, "My name is Mikoto, I am the ruling Queen of Hoshido… may I ask for your name?"

"...Nalaptijep." He slowly responds. "And her name is Ztisepzy."

Orochi tilts her head, "My love and I named her Corrin. Though she prefers to be called Lupus." Mikoto continues. "She is such a wonderful…"

"Where is she?" He cuts her off again.

"The latest report I've received indicates that she is in Castle Krakenburg in Nohr, captured."

She's… literally on the other side? "Where's her father?"

A silence overtakes the area, Orochi closes her eyes and Mikoto takes a deep breath, "He had been killed during a supposed peace meeting with King Garon, which resulted in my daughter's abduction and…"

"Ztisepzy is  **not**  your daughter!" He snarls, "And you are not worthy of raising her!" Weapons unsheathe at his aggression.

"I know she isn't mine by blood." Yet, she does not get angry, "But, the day my love told me that we need to raise her as our own, the day he told me that he couldn't inform me anything of her… that moment when I first held her, I swore that I'd raise her as my own. As far as I'm concerned, she  **is**  my daughter. I love her and I raised her like the others."

"Yet you were nowhere near her when she needed protection."

"I know, and it pains me everyday. Not just me, either: Ryoma, Hinoka, Takumi, Sakura… we all grieved…"

"While you all just sat here and hoped she returned?!"

Mikoto flinches, "My liege, he needs…"

"No, Orochi. Let us speak." The Queen shakes her head, "I understand the pain of loss…"

Nalaptijep tunes her out, partially because he's tired of listening to her… partially because he has an 'urge', the feeling he associates with danger. First he listens while continuing to look at the Queen, lest he rouse suspicion that he is on to something. It started with a single shift, a grinding sound… stone on stone. Then it was something… tightening? Like… like a string, a bow? Shuffle, shuffle, the sound of movement grows smaller, but not towards the exit… Nalaptijep flicks his hand open and forms something that only he can do, an adaptation that mimics the humans who throw daggers. They look like tiny teeth, slightly bathed in his preferred maw's digestive fluid.

Twang, crack, slice, and one of the single loudest screams he's ever heard. The guards… stand? No, some distortion over them comes and goes and they are most certainly not Hoshidan, Orochi is then struck with an arrow, Mikoto is grappled with a knife to her throat. It seemed as if these assassins purposely avoided getting close to Nalaptijep, as if they knew he would be able to catch on and kill whoever dared sneak near him. "Heh, good job, men." The man holding Mikoto smirks. He looks pale, skinny… "You, dragon-boy! If you've any sense, you'll stay right there, be silent, and let us walk away with our prize."

"Wh…" Mikoto starts.

"Ah, ah, ah… I'd be careful, your Highness… the King didn't truly specify you come back alive." He tuts.

Nalaptijep tilts his head… coward. "Pathetic." He mutters, "You, human. Name?"

"Heh… my name is Zola." He smirks, "And this went even smoo…" With his eyes narrowed, Nalaptijep sent the needle-like projectile flying, right into the man's neck, which meant it just almost grazed Mikoto's neck, "Gh, ngh…" Well, to be more accurate, the fluid is  **like**  his maw's digestive fluid… but instead it's a means of paralysis. 'Zola' crumples down…

" **Ahhh** ~!" But that doesn't mean they are deterred, as another arrow is fired, piercing into Mikoto as she went for her weapon. It… the arrows have to be tipped in poison, as there's no way a shot to her arm could cause  **that**  much pain.

"Kill him!" They yell, despite Zola just barely shaking 'no'. So, about half a dozen versus one.

Nalaptijep smirks, easily one-sided. He forms the normal set-up with partial shifting… scales over his body, a reinforced helmet, clawed feet, one lance, and once maw. "I can assure you all that your life energies will be put to better use…" Two of the assassins foolishly charge him… both swords. Nalaptijep weaves under the first sword while also back away from the second, then proceeding to impale one with his lance and literally taking a bite out of the second, with the digestive fluids quickly working its way throughout the man's body. This smooth double-kill caused the next obvious response of the other five charging in, whilst the six knocks an arrow. One glance was enough… it's dipped in a toxin.

Out goes the lance, in comes the shield. Nalaptijep blocks the longer-reaching lance, before snapping at it with his maw, though another soldier landed a strike, just enough to graze his scales. "Wh-what?!" That hesitation was enough to allow the half-dragon time to claw into the man's armor with a clawed foot. Blood soon follows.

Nalaptijep hisses as an axe does actually manage to cleave through his scales… must be higher grade materials. Maw for sword and he slashes through the man he just clawed, finishing him off. He then turns to take down that axe wielder, highest threat right now. At least, that's who he thought was the largest threat, because the next thing he knew a roar of pain exited his mouth when an arrow pierced his scales.

It wasn't as painful as what Mikoto or Orochi experienced, but it was still enough to cripple him. "Heh, we got him, boys!" The archer cheered.

Nalaptijep growled and formed his… nothing. Neither his shield nor his sword budged, almost like he was stuck with those two… At least, at least he still has them. He lashes out at the axe one once more, stabbing him… but not as much as he would have expected. A sword lands, cutting further than it should have. "Fenp…" He swears. Alright, so the toxin doesn't completely stop his Wild Magic, but it does inhibit it. He can work around that.

He steps back and slashes at the sword wielder near him, and he falls… huh. That axe wielder obviously has the best armor of the group, then. Nalaptijep slowly backs up, then lunges at the next target, only to get struck with another arrow. He can't close that distance fast enough! He needs to finish these off first!

Except that a gurgle of blood sounds out… the archer? "Kaze!" Mikoto exclaims, yet her voice sounds incredibly weak.

"Finish him! Now!" The axe-wielder orders as he charges the newest one.

And that's when Nalaptijep's survival instincts really kicked in, oh… he knows exactly what that sense of dread is. Unfortunately, due to the combination of his wounds and the toxin that prevents any further shifting, well… the  **one**  thing, the  **one**  material that he, any dragon should never get struck by. In short, he let out the most pained roar ever. It burned as it sliced through his body with so much ease, so little effort. His body gave in to the pain and he fell, blood pouring out faster than he thought he could lose in a moment. " **No**!" A dulled scream echoed throughout the throne room. "Damn the consequences…" Is one of the last dulled voice he heard before the Wyrmslayer-wielding man was skewered with a magic arrow, falling dead on the spot. The next thing he heard was the single loudest scream he's ever heard.

"My liege!" Orochi follows up.

"I'll make this quick…" Kaze speaks before the axe man falls.

"Healer…  **Heal him**!" Footsteps as the doors finally open.

"Your Highness!" A group of people sound out. "The doors were…"

" **Heal him**!" Mikoto shouts again. "No, no, no… please, stay with me." Shuffling, then Nalaptijep feels arms around him. "Don't die, please… gods. No." She whispers. "By the gods, hurry up or get  **me**  a Festal! Orochi!"

"Milady, you've been…" It's Kaze.

" **I don't care**! He's… he's not going to die on me. Get me a Festal!" Why? Nalaptijep isn't hers… "Thank you." He feels magic flow through him… at the expense of her tears, her crying, her gritting her teeth to keep herself from screaming in pain. "Shh, I'm here… I'm here for you."

"Ngh…" The wound has been closed, but it still burns, it hurts.

"I'll keep you safe with everything I have… I promise. I'll be here for you." She continues to repeat as she cradles the half-dragon that just earlier stormed in, insulted her, and is even the one that killed so many.

So, the only question he had was, "Why? I'm… not yours."

"I told you, I raised Corrin as my own, my daughter. And… since you're her brother, then… I'll protect you as if you were my own son." Something in her tone changes, "And by the gods… no one hurts  **my**  children… damn the Magebane toxin, damn the ambush…" Nalaptijep simply remains silent, the adrenaline slowly wears off and… he just falls asleep, cradled in the arms of the human who raised the brood's missing sister. Someone who doesn't care that Ztisepzy had absolutely no blood connection to her. Someone who is showing genuine concern for him, the brood. Someone who endured the pain of that toxin to heal him.

...Maybe things do need to change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey guys, look! Selkie and Velouria were napping together! How adorable, ain’t it great that those two are getting along so well? Now, if only the males could pull that off, too… anyway. Ah, and now the eldest sister of the brood is here and… smoooooth. What better way to convince Selkie to do anything than comparing it to play time? But at least we’ll finally get to see the… ultimate contest. Selkie’s energy pool versus Qsoeqat’s sex drive.
> 
> Now then, next up is… Mikoto. Hm, don’t think it’s actually been too long since the last time I did her PoV, but… there was a good reason this time. Though that reason isn’t tactics, but… some big twists. So yes, Mikoto knew that Corrin wasn’t her daughter, but she treated her as one anyway. However, she didn’t know who birthed Corrin. Which means we now have explicit confirmation on Corrin’s parents. King Sumeragi and a female dragon. Going from that…
> 
> And we’re back with the middle brother, Nalaptijep. Alright, before anything else with him, I’ll go ahead and hammer out what’ll probably be a glaring issue. Why didn’t he attract the guards? Now see, unlike Corrin near the start of this fic who was stealing, killed a few, but was otherwise very visible. Nalaptijep killed all of the survivors… the only thing the reports could give was the aftermath without any first-hand witnesses. As long as he doesn’t walk into a place blood-stained, he should be fine. So, from Mozu to Kaze and now Nalaptijep is being escorted to the Queen… with another flashback. This time it’s showing the point where the brood’s mother told her offspring that she let their father have the sixth sibling, as well as dropping something a bit more dangerous…
> 
> A single woman who managed to push back and is hunting down the mother. Hm…
> 
> Continuing with Nalaptijep. Oh… a Nohrian ambush? How?! Zola (Oh look, see I told you he’d be back) had access to a secret tunnel? Oh, there’s some speculation bits to go around. So, now we got a pretty nifty fight scene with Nalaptijep showing off a skill unique to him… which would imply that each sibling has one of their own, and… ouch. Orochi and Mikoto has been struck with Magebane toxin and… so has Nalaptijep, but as shown, it does affect his Wild Magic, but instead of causing that intense burn, it simply… ‘shuts it down’. So, as long as that toxin is in him, he can’t partially shift… even back to his human form.
> 
> And now we all get to see a livid Mikoto on screen, swearing, pushing through the Magebane toxin to save a half-dragon she considers a son, then pushing through the toxin again to make sure he is healed, so that he doesn’t bleed out. I can’t add anything to that…
> 
> So, all I can do is throw a bit more ‘speculation bits’... although all I can really offer there is, what will be Zola’s fate now? He’s now stuck deep within Hoshidan territory, and within reach of a Queen who is likely ready to unleash her wrath. Face it, Mikoto’s done, peace is over… that Yumi is about to see some serious use.
> 
> I was going to add another scene, but… I don’t think I could’ve really followed up on those last two PoV very well. A number of points have been added, some have been explained, and overall there are just too many big moments… or it could just be me grasping for excuses not to add more.


	63. Danger, Keep Away (But Don't Leave Me Alone)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never before had I had this problem. I've had issues on scenes, themes, dialogue, endings, beginnings, big moments, thinking of fic names and chapter names… but I've never encountered a problem where I couldn't decide on a chapter name…
> 
> Because I thought of a few good chapter names, so pick your… 'poison' ;)
> 
> Bittersweet Intentions : Familiar Sting of Poison : Silent but Helpful : Half-Dragon of Mercy : Deadly Nightshade, Good Intentions
> 
> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

 

Kaze closes his eyes, sighs, opens his eyes, then walks down into the dungeons alone. Orochi and Queen Mikoto are both magically crippled, the… half-dragon that Queen Mikoto chooses to protect like a son is stuck in his 'partially shifted' form, all due to the Magebane Toxin, whose first recorded use was with Princess Sakura. It burns the magic out of the target, then proceeds to cause a similar burn whenever they cast magic…

And Queen Mikoto had most of her magic burned out, but proceeded to use her magic-imbued Yumi to fire a magical arrow on top of using a Festal to heal said half-dragon.

But, that's not why Kaze is heading into the dungeons, as Queen Mikoto said he's the one to interrogate 'Zola', the man who somehow knew of the secret tunnels within Shirasagi… as well to check up on Princess Camilla. He quickly descends down the stone stairs, through the hallways and…

He vanishes and silently moves closer. A Nohrian soldier's corpse lies smashed against the wall, across from Princess Camilla's cell, while her door is left open. Was that attack  **also**  a diversion…

But, then Kaze sees that Princess Camilla is still very much there. One of her hands has blood stains on it. Did she just kill one of her own, or…? Well, first he closes the door, which obviously grabs her attention. "Princess Camilla." He also starts outside of the gate.

"Hm… Kaze, correct?" She looks… emotionally dead. "The guard assigned to watch my cell was apparently Nohrian… care to explain?"

Wait, wait. So, Zola had more than royal guards replaced? "I'm the one to ask questions, Lady Camilla."

She leans back towards the wall, "There's nothing I can provide."

"And him?" He tilts his head towards the dead 'guard'.

"I killed him."

"He's Nohrian."

"I know."

"Why?"

"I'm not leaving." Sincerity.

"You had a chance to escape…"

"My dear Leo and sweet Elise are fighting for Hoshido… and the last thing I want to do is take up arms against them." Tears start forming.

"And what of Crown Prince Xander?"

"He best not lay a finger on Leo or Elise." There's a certain danger to her tone. She then looks past him and to the 'guard', "He tried to get me to leave, so I just took his life instead. Was the open door not proof enough? Kaze, I'm not leaving… not until I can see Leo and Elise."

Kaze's mind races with uncertainty, an act? Sincerity? Is she faking all of this? "Are you aware of what happened recently?"

"He said that there's a distraction and now's the time to leave."

"And that's it?"

"That's all." She nods.

Kaze narrows his eyes, before shaking his head. "I'll return later, Lady Camilla."

"Have a good day…"

He walks off, then sighs. What really happened to her? Storing that information for later, he rounds a hallway and to another cell, one recently placed here. "Zola…" Kaze does nothing to hide his glare.

"Oh, hello…" The illusionist is in the corner.

The one that imitated Princess Sakura. "Your crimes are enough to warrant an immediate execution…"

He smiles at Kaze, "But you won't."

"How did you…."

"Ah, ah, ah. Secrets are to be kept secrets." Zola wags a finger at Kaze.

"And just how did that secret get passed onto you?"

"Secretly." Oh, he's this type of person. "Small whispers and careful words."

Kaze rolls his arms around, and a vial drops from his sleeve into his hand… Zola's eyes widen, "You do recognize this, then?"

"So, the Hoshidans are not below torture, heh…"

"The Queen has authorized extraction of information through any means. I asked to have all possible toxins gathered." He shows off the vial of Magebane toxin, "Hoshido's King has been assassinated in a peace meeting, Princess Corrin had been abducted, Princess Sakura had been nearly killed through a mind control spell placed on Lady Corrin, you used your magic to imitate Lady Sakura, you gotten Hana, Subaki, and Kagero captured, Hana nearly died from a failed Seppuku, Lady Sakura was tortured, starved, and was injected with this toxin twice, Lady Corrin was taken after her Wolfskin pack was slaughtered." He takes a breath, "Zola, honor has been thrown out, peace is out of reach. We will win this war through any means… and this will all start with you." He opens the door and slips in, before closing and locking it. The man is shaking, terrified, but his mouth stays shut. Whilst staying silent himself, Kaze readies a needle, pokes it into Zola's skin…

And the cries of agony followed suit.

* * *

Pimtvsetbe had his eyes set on the next village, truly ready to actually interrogate this time, instead of just slaughtering them, but… that thought changed. It happened when he actually walked into this village. The place is… deserted. Absolutely barren. Wooden walls, doors, all have been blasted away, parts of roofs have been torn off, and there are strangely a lot of ashes, as if there was a massive fire. Even the air feels… 'empty'. However, since his instincts aren't 'screaming' at him, he lets his human curiosity take over, if for a few moments.

He approaches one of the buildings, then looks to the side… alright, that ash can't be the buildings, since there are rotting planks of wood around the village. So, he walks up to some of the lingering ash and touches it… it's ash, but yet. He can't really explain it… this ash isn't right.

He rises up, then focuses on his senses, a distant humming… no, not a creature humming, but magic. Readying his maw, Pimtvsetbe moves towards this source of magic. It leads to a building that has been renovated… but his eyes glance to the side.

There's a crater, with a pool of residual magic in it. However, since there's nothing else in there, he moves towards the building.

It's a door he wish he didn't open.

There must have been some sort of containment ward, since the first thing that hits him is an excess of blood. Flesh, organs, and other body parts are lined up in specifically labeled areas. About one fourth of the room is under the general label of 'human' and the other?

'Dragon'. He innately recognizes a number of the pieces… scales, wings, horns, claws. Though he also can tell that these are from primarily wyverns. There are also two tables in this building, one of them is about the size of an average human, the second is so much larger, like it could fit… a wyvern.

His ears twitch, but his instincts remain calm, so he continues.

He moves closer to the larger of the two tables, and he can see fragments of scales on it, some blood that probably can't be cleaned off… a Wyrmslayer rests at the far end. Tubes, vials, and all sorts of 'remedies' are around this place.

The people who work here should be given the worst of deaths.

Switching out his maw for a sword, he goes to do the only thing he really can do… shatter the glass containers holding the various body parts, so that they'll be too contaminated to use. The sound of glass breaking repeats again and again, until every last vial, tube, and whatever else he could find is gone. With that done, he turns on his heel and walks out.

There's not much more he can do to this place… time to move on to the next village.

* * *

Silas reaches the final bridge between him and Castle Krakenburg… Cimmefuppe has yet to leave him be, despite finding several inn rooms. He even spent money on a few, but she somehow always managed to slip back to him..  **With**  the gold he spent. But now? "Cimmefuppe, I mean it, you  **can't**  enter with me." He has to put his foot down. "I'm sorry."

She looks up, goes on her tiptoes, then whispers, "Please don't… Mr. Silas." She pulls back and stares with those shining eyes.

Gods, it's so hard to resist that look. There's definitely something going on with her. Is she really just a powerful Mage? "I…" She looks away as a group walks past them. "Good evening, sirs." Silas bows.

A group of nobles, some sort of envoy if he has to assume. "Yes… hello." The relatively older man nods, but that's all the greeting Silas gets.

Fair enough, Silas is just a soldier in their eyes. "Alright, now Cimmefuppe…" He starts after they leave. But now she's tugging his arm and pointing at them, "What is it?" She grabs her throat and makes a coughing noise. "Somebody is sick?" She shakes her head.

She then tiptoes again, "Bad… things. They carry bad things."

Silas sighs, "Cimmefuppe, even if  **I**  knew you are completely correct, I can't do anything with an assumption alone. If… hey,  **hey**!" She frowns, then starts moving ahead without him. "Cimmefuppe!" He quickly closes the distance and grabs her arm. An action he would immediately regret… as he is now on the ground, she managed to flip him around and onto his back and… gods. Her pupils narrowed, her teeth look sharper, and there is some sickly green liquid forming from inside her mouth.

Then she blinks, all of those things fade, and gives him an apologetic look. "Sorry, sorry…" She quickly whispers as she helps him up. "Don't be angry, please… sorry."

"Wh-what was that?" He brings his voice down to a whisper… or was he just seeing things? No, maybe the narrowed pupils… alright, and maybe the seemingly sharper teeth, but  **not**  that sickly-green liquid.

She shakes her head, "Nothing, not bad… never hurt… Silas. Silas good, doesn't hurt." She pulls away, "..." And now he can't hear her again. Though, when she looks back, she's almost to tears.

Silas shakes his head, then takes a deep breath, "Alright, fine… but I still can't bring you in, Cimmefuppe." Then she  **glares**  at him, stamps a foot on the ground, then points towards the door where the nobles went. Gods, she's adamant on this… "Stay close to me. Don't walk off." He firmly states, "I'm serious, Cimmefuppe. You can get in  **serious**  trouble otherwise."

She smiles, then nods, and holds out her hand.

Gods, how is she so good at convincing him? Silas looks at her hand, then grabs it. His cheeks were slightly flushed at her insistent commitment to have physical contact. Is this something from her youth? He's so worried for her. She's far stronger than she looks, yet she seems to be terrified of being left alone. Silas takes a few longer strides to make sure he's in front, then proceeds to go through the castle door with some… questionable looks from the guards. Well, she  **does**  look young, and she is a bit too close for him to be escorting her. Gods, they probably think she's some sort of… one of 'those servants'. "Alright Cimmefuppe, now, I'm going… Cimmefuppe?" She isn't by his side. "Cimmefuppe?!" She  **literally**  disappeared! "Godsdamnit… Cimmefuppe!" How? How?! They were holding hands… how did he not notice this?!

Yet, before he could even take a step to look, "Ah, Silas." One of the elder and renowned soldiers, Gunter, greets him. "I trust your patrol went well?"

"Uh, yes sir! I do have some urgent news to report." A statement he regrets saying… as his first-hand witness is gone.

"Oh? Then we should get you to His Highness quickly." He starts walking, so Silas has to follow. "If I may ask… would you care to spar again? Should you have time?"

Silas smiles, "I don't think I'll be able to keep up, but… sure."

Gunter chuckles, "That should be my line, I  **am**  starting to get rather old. Besides, you are one of the youngest to ever become a Paladin."

"We'll see, then." Gods, Cimmefuppe… please don't do anything reckless.

* * *

Cimmefuppe looked with an apologetic eye at Silas as he talked to some really old human. One quick invisibility spell, followed by a spell that changes her appearance and switches out clothes. She now looks more the part of a Maid. "Sorry, mister Silas… but, those people going to do really bad things." She whispers to herself, "And I… I will make up for the fear you felt…" Blinking her eyes, she walks and follows the scent of the 'nobles' and that one scent that spurred her into action in the first place.

The world needs less hurt, and this sister of the brood will do what she can to fix it.

She quickly follows them to the… dining room? The nobles are talking to each other, while also having the servants set the table for them. "So… an audience with Crown Prince Xander?" One of them asks.

"Yes…" Another speaks, but Cimmefuppe doesn't like this one… he's slimy, not literally.

"Are we…?"

"Shush!"

"Is the…?"

"Yes." And just like that, the conversation ends. She narrows her eyes at them as they walk away. She then goes towards the table.

"Oh good, another Maid… here." One of the servants just  **gives**  her some of the stuff. "This is to go to the kitchen for the meal, hurry up."

And the servant turns and starts working on other things… Cimmefuppe sniffs the air, oh… at least the kitchen isn't that far. She walks towards that direction and makes her way towards the kitchen. The stuff in this container isn't the stuff that is 'bad'... but the 'bad' thing is in this kitchen. She frowns as she enters… "By the gods, hurry up! Stop walking like this is some… leisure activity!" One of the cooks yells at her. Silently, she hands them the container, and the man sighs. "If you took any longer, the meal would've ruined." Why are they so mean?

She places the container down and quickly scans the kitchen, where is the bad stuff? She sniffs the air, "Move!" Another cook barks the order and she does so, then goes out of the kitchen. She needs a different approach… and she doesn't think she can hold the invisibility spell long enough. She bites her lip.

Sounds come out of the dining room as that group of nobles return… as does a big brown-skinned man, a blonde hair woman, and a man with a lot of fancy clothes. The fancy clothes man and the nobles are talking… he must be the 'Crown Prince' guy. The bad stuff must be for him… but why? Sure, he looks kinda stern, but isn't that what rulers are supposed to be? "Stop daydreaming!" And now she's shooed out of the way by another cook. She resists the urge to huff… if anyone is 'bad' here, it's the cooks and other servants.

"Do your job and get this food out!" A cook just hands her a plate with… she gulps. Bad stuff. "That's for Crown Prince Xander." Oh…

She starts walking, while also quickly thinking. She raises a finger, then shifts that single finger into a claw, and inserts it into the meat. "Zoqjup…" She whispers and the familiar sting of the bad stuff goes into her. There, bad stuff gone. She quickly reverts the claw into a finger and puts it back in place.

Finally, she reaches the Crown Prince and places the plate in front of him… so close, but he's safe. She gulps as she feels the excess of the bad stuff creep into her. Alright, she really can't talk right now, but that's okay… another life safe. Though, she also really needs to filter it out again. "You! Get this out! Move!" Oh, perfect. "This is the last plate." She quickly moves over to get it, only one open spot… and karma aligned its arrow onto the slimy man.

Repeating the process, she punctures it with her claw, "Zoqiup…" The sting exits her and into the meat. Her throat doesn't feel so tight and she removes the claw, back into a finger, then places the plate in front of him.

"You. On standby." The Crown Prince orders her… and she eagerly complies.

"Safe…" She whispered to herself, then glances at the other man, "Not safe… try to hurt… will get hurt." A number of human-related before eating stuff happens, even more talking, then they finally start eating. She notes that the slimy man has a slight smirk when the Crown Prince bites into his, then takes a bite of his own.

Then the slimy man's eating thing drops as he starts choking. "Sir, what's wrong?" Xander asks.

"H-How? I…" Slimy man starts, "Not me… who…?" He then glares at Xander, "You… your d-d-damn vengeance…  **killed**  my… son…" Huh? "I hope you… die painfully…" One last breath.

Xander then glares at the other nobles. "Speak."

The oldest man, the one Cimmefuppe thought was pretty nice said, "Do you realize how many lives  **you ruined**?! You and your bastard father…" The others quickly got on board with that.

"Benny, Charlotte." Xander states.

"Say no more, my liege." The female nods.

"Understood…" Is all the other says.

"You, Maid." Cimmefuppe startles as Xander suddenly looks at her, "Come here." She nods and walks over, "Let me see your hand." She raises her, "Other hand." her other hand, which still has some lingering juices. Xander then rises and goes over to the slimy man's food. He walks back to her, now standing at his tallest. "Were you a part of this?"

"I took… out bad…"

"Speak up!"

"I took… out…" She strains her voice.

"Hm…" He stares her down, then lowers himself some, "You wouldn't be the first servant that is impaired in some way." His face is close to hers, "Now, speak."

"I took out… the bad things in your food…"

"The bad things?" He repeats and she nods, "So, you knew about this?" She shakes her head, "Speak truthfully."

She gulps, "I can… smell… bad things."

"You can smell poisons?" He looks more curious than anything.

She nods, "I smelled… bad things. I took out bad things… from your food… put bad things in… his food."

He takes a moment to think it over, "You smelled the poison, somehow 'took it out' of my food, but then 'put it in' his food?" He shakes his head, "Do you expect me to believe that?"

Cimmefuppe huffs, then walks over to the slimy man's food. Whilst making sure he can't see her claw, she pokes it in, "Zoquip…" Once more, the tightness returns, but it isn't as bad. She then cuts off a piece and holds it up.

"Do you think me a fool?" Xander crosses his arms. "You, servant… eat that." Oh, fair enough… Xander is a really important person.

The servant nods, walks over, and plucks the meat from Cimmefuppe's grasp, then eats it… unharmed. "Was it not cooked well?"

Xander raises an eyebrow, "Dismissed." The servant seems to shrug it off and walks away… and Xander walks closer. "How?" Cimmefuppe holds her throat and makes a squeezing motion. "Speak." She repeats it and shakes her head, "You were just talking." She points at the meat, then her, and some other random motions, "If he wasn't poisoned, then… it went into you?" She nods, then holds her throat and makes a squeezing motion, "And instead of killing you, it just prevents you from talking?" She nods again. "Interesting… and how do you do this, exactly?" She freezes on the spot. "Maid, you are obviously doing something, why else would you turn away? Show me." She gulps, turns towards the meat and repeats the… "Gods." He looks at her, "Another one."

"Wh-what?" She whispers.

"Nevermind… but I will say you have my gratitude for saving my life."

"Good people… live… less hurt. I stop… hurt. I stop the bad things… even if it hurts me." She slowly whispers.

"And you do this in secret?"

"Being caught… not good. People fear." Tears start to well up.

Then he smiles, "Then don't do it in secret." She tilts her head, "Ma'am, I'll keep your secret safe, I'll grant you shelter from everything I can… in return for you working for me."

"Can I… help… other good people?"

"Yes, and I'll be sure to give you special privileges."

"Then… I will… work. I need to… stop the hurt… stop the bad things." She slowly nods. "And mister Xander help me help them."

"By the way… what is your name?"

"My name… Cimmefuppe."

"Cimmefuppe?" He echoes without issue. "Very well. Now come, we need to make things formal."

"Mister Xander?" She asks, which causes him to stop, "Can I… remove bad stuff… into throw-away food?"

He smiles, "Of course. Use those noble's plates."

See? Xander is nice. Cimmefuppe walks over to each of the plates, then siphons as much toxins as the meats will hold. However, due to her naturally developing toxin, she can't remove all of it… and she stops siphoning before the meat turns green or the toxin visibly forms. "Thank you, mister Xander." Her voice is now just barely above a whisper, so now at least she doesn't have to get up close.

"Don't place your well-being so low. Since you are working for me, I can't have you as 'full' as you just were. I'll be sure to get you something to freely inject excess toxins into, okay?"

"You are… very nice, mister Xander." She smiles. "I don't… understand why people are angry… with you."

He briefly frowns, "I serve Nohr above all, and some cannot see the end goal so well." He nods, more to himself, "Now, let's move…" He walks, but stops when he sees her reach out with her hand.

"Scared… don't like… being alone. Bad… bad memories…" Tears start forming again, "Many bad…"

He concedes, "I'll be sure to get you help on that, too. This doesn't look professional. So, this  **one**  time, understand?"

She smiles at the warmth of his hand, "Thank you, mister Xander… warmth feels good. Warmth means safe, comfort. I like warmth."

* * *

Charlotte returns to see  **her**  liege holding that… " **Ohhh**!" She scowls, "Aw, c'mon! That's…"

"I'm sure there's good reason." Benny tries to soothe the other.

"She's flat as a plank of wood! She doesn't have a figure! She looks like she didn't even hit puberty! What does she have that I don't?! I've been trying my damnedest to get on Lord Xander's good side… then she swoops in and is holding his hand in… grrr!" She stamps the ground once, "I worked so hard to get where I am, we proved to be a great team and we got to be the Crown Prince's retainers… but instead of choosing me. He chooses some random Maid?! That's just…  **ugh**!" She turns and looks at, "Hey!"

"We need to stay by his side, Charlotte… it's our duties as retainers." He shrugs off her rant.

"I'm not done complaining! Benny! At least give me your opinion on why he is being so close to some random stick of a woman!" The hulking General, as in the class, seems to ignore her. " **Benny**!"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, there's another twist for you. Princess Camilla chose to remain in her cell… even going so far as to killing the soldier tasked to save her, just… wow. So, she's staying for the sake of Leo and Elise, but… what are her real thoughts on Xander? Well, since she seems set to not going back to Nohr, maybe we'll get her PoV? Next is Zola and… yep. Not much to say there. All I can really say is let's hope Kaze gets some information off-screen. However… there's a chance some of y'all could've already figured it out, the information is out there.
> 
> Pimtvsetbe… well, yep. I can't really say much without showing my hand too much, so… just keep that place in mind.
> 
> Silas is baaaaack! With Cimmefuppe by his side… for a bit. Now, what's this? Cimmefuppe claims that those nobles have 'bad things'... what could that mean? Oh wait…
> 
> Cimmefuppe's PoV. *inhales sharply* Naughty woman, er half-dragon, slipping out of Silas's grip to pursue your own agenda. Which… her agenda isn't too bad, right? Stopping the bad, keeping people safe. Well, at least we get to see her at work… in the guise of a Maid… huh. Anyway, she interferes with a poisoned meal to save…
> 
> Crown Prince Xander? Oh, well then. But, was she really in the right? Xander is allowing and causing grief, and he isn't exactly the good guy, especially since his PoV is out of the question. The problem is that Cimmefuppe doesn't have the full picture. She doesn't know that 'Xander's vengeance' ended up with getting her missing sister captured. She is only working with what she has.
> 
> And as for identifying scents… it's simply been too long since Xander has been near Lupus. Now, that could have potentially been overcome if Xander was almost side-by-side to Lupus, but that isn't the case.
> 
> Well, we all got to see her unique trait, and it deals with… toxins! Which is why she has the name Cimmefuppe… erm, Belladonna! On top of that, we also got an explanation on why she's so quiet, it's connected to how much toxins she has in her body, but she also can't just get rid of all of it, because of whatever reason, her body naturally produces a toxin that… cripples herself? Ouch. Alright, her natural toxin is a double-edged sword, and that's all I'm going to add onto that.
> 
> Oh look, Charlotte and… yep. She's jealous. She gets sent off to deal with some new convicts, and she returns to see Xander holding Cimmefuppe's hand. Welp, here's to things staying 'contained'...


	64. Pseudo-Mother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… last chapter was more centered around the youngest sister, Cimmefuppe… whom I shall now, personally and affectionately refer to as Bella. Her sweet (and toxic) being just may be the push I needed to get a spin-off series going.
> 
> Anyway, this chapter has more focus with the eldest sister, Utvseie, who will be established as the, well… you’ll see.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

 

Seta looked from left to right as she strolled up the mountains with the rest of the army. Utvseie had briefly returned to get Silky, then left… but now Utvseie is back and she’s walking away from most of the army. The half-dragon is standing the ‘closest’ to Red, but that equates to about a spear’s distance away. She seems… on edge. No… unsure? “Hm…” Seta hums aloud, before moving a bit faster to close the distance… but slows down once her ears twitch. “Hey, Utvseie~.” She lazily states.

“What?” She didn’t even bother to turn around, but her pointed ears shifted in the smallest manner.

“I miss her, too, y’know.” She starts off with, “A Lady Corrin, Lupus, er…”

“Her name is Ztisepzy.”

“Ztisepzy…” Seta echoes without issue. “That’s a pretty name… but I’m used to Lupus. So, I think I’ll stick to calling her Lupus.” The archer lazily smiles. “So, Utvseie… “

“What is it?”

“Can I see your face?”

“Why?” Despite that, Utvseie stops.

“Because it’s hard to read your body language if I can’t see it. Besides… it makes me think you’re hiding from me, and I don’t like that.” She frowns.

And to her surprise, Utvseie walks alongside Seta, “You’re different.” She plainly states.

“I am… aren’t I?” Seta hums. “Well, so is Lupus, but…”

“She’s better.” Utvseie cuts her off.

“Oh yeah… you should’ve been there when we were outside playing games, Lupus like… we were running and she sprinted so fast…”

“Of course, I’d be very surprised if any of  **you**  gotten close.” Pride, and quite a bit of it, too.

“I agree, Lupus is amazing, isn’t she?”

A pause, then a frown, “I can only assume. Mother let our father raise her.”

“Aw, really?” Seta pauses, “Well, going off of you and her, I think all of you are very pretty.”

“Good looks don’t make strong offspring.”

“True…” The archer trails off. “And Lupus  **is**  pretty strong, I like her muscles…”

Utvseie scoffs, “Keep your scent to yourself.”

Then she narrows her eyes at the other, “She has a human side.”

“For the sake of the dragons…”

“It’s her choice. Just like it was her choice to return to the pack. It hurts… it hurts for her to be so far away, but…” Seta pauses, “Even if I never saw her again, I’ll always love her.”

“Love…” Utvseie echoes. “Seta, was it?”

“Yep~.”

Her ears twitch again, “Hold.” She raises her voice a bit… then takes the front of the army, shapeshifts into her dragon form, and lets out a roar that reverberates throughout Seta’s body. Oh, that is rather powerful… After the roar, Utvseie stays put with her head high… and a few seconds after that, she breathes and lets out another roar, before shifting back and walking closer to the army, “Keep moving.”

“Hey…” Ka-da quickly approaches her, “You didn’t say anything about Wolfskin.”

“Well yeah…”

“ **My sister** … is in a Wolfskin Pack?!”

“Yep.” Completely unfazed.

Ka-da stands tall, growls at her, and gets up to her face, “If there is even a single scratch on her…”

“I’m assuming not from any mating?” She calmly asks. “Ka-da, you don’t understand how driven Qsoeqat is for sex. He specifically asked for a Kitsune, I don’t think he’s going to let her out of arm’s reach for several days.”

“That’s not the point.”

“He’ll keep her safe from the Wolfskin… he  **is**  the alpha, remember?”

“Hmph, alpha…”

“Alpha of almost every Wolfskin pack in the southern mountain range.”

“Really~?” Seta asks.

“No, of course not. Wolfskin and Kitsune may be different in many ways, but there’s no way one could unite multiple packs… or hamlets.” Ka-da glares at Utvseie.

“Ka-da, is it?”

“ **Kaden** .” Ka-da stresses.

“Kaden,” Utvseie nods. “For what’s it worth… my brother won’t let her get hurt.”

Ka-da’s nose twitches, then he relaxes a bit and nods. “Alright… I’m holding you to that.”

“Hey, Utvseie? What are the other siblings like?” Seta speaks up.

“Why?”

“I’m curious. Because you… well, you have this certain… protection thing when you’re talking about them, like… a mother?”

That seemed to strike a cord with her, because her face instantly becomes stern and she looks forward. “Perhaps I am.”

“Heh, I had a feeling. See, after spending so much time with Lupus, I learned so much on all the body language she uses, and… you use a lot of it, too. So… what are the others like?” Ka-da slows down and starts walking beside, of all people, Keaty. Wow, those two are at least… tolerating each other better.

She sighs, but it sounds wistful, “I had to spend so much time managing all of them... Qsoeqat is the youngest brother and, well… the moment he was able, he has such an obsession with mating. Next would be the middle brother, Nalaptijep.” She scrunches her eyebrows, “He’s… a hoarder.” Despite that statement, she smiles, “He loves fruit. Oh, you should have seen him when he came back to our old cave one day… he  **made**  a cart out of tree limbs and tree trunks, then used his magic to roll it on the ground… the whole thing was filled with fruit, mostly apples, though.”

Seta smiles, “I knew it… the mother figure.”

“The fruit was rotting before he got through about half of it, since he wouldn’t let anyone else touch them.” She taps her lip, “I tried so hard to get him to not pick so much, but…” Something crosses by her face.

“...What did he do?”

“Well, you need to understand that he was never that approachable to begin with, he was more distant… kind of emotionally dead at times, actually.” She shakes her head, “Anyway, he got tired of me lecturing him about wasting fruit, so… he left for almost the entire day and returned… bloodied.”

“He killed a lot of humans?” Seta gasps.

“No, not exactly…” Utvseie pauses, “He uses his partially shifted maw more than the rest, and one of the things we can do with it is… a ‘direct digestion’,” She forms that maw, “That liquid? Once someone or something has a large amount of it on them, it dissolves whatever it touches, which then goes straight into our body as energy.” The maw fades, “He went into the closest village to directly digest every person there. So, instead of hoarding fruit, he developed a… ‘taste’ for,” She clears her throat, “Life energies.”

Seta frowns with a slight cringe, “That’s horrible!”

She scoffs, “That’s nothing compared to Pimtvsetbe, the eldest brother… he waves his draconic heritage around so proudly, that I’m surprised he just doesn’t stay in his dragon form.” A pause, “Well, actually… while mother was alive, he was actually rather calm. Something in him snapped after that, however. If… most of the reports of any villages being ravaged are probably from him. He kills to kill. But… at least I managed to keep him from running head-first into every situation.”

Trying to discard all of the bloody bits, “How did you do that?”

“Simple… I hid my scent and appearance… went into a village he was going to attack, then I beat him down.”

“How does that help?”

“It brought him down to reality, then I lectured him for several hours straight after dragging him across the ground and hillsides back to our cave.”

“Sounds like you lectured your siblings a lot.” Seta comments.

“Only the brothers, see… Cimmefuppe, our youngest sister has… a different kind of issue.”

“And that is?”

“She has trouble talking, throat damage.” Utvseie wraps her hands around her throat and slightly squeezes for emphasis, “Because of that, it can be difficult to properly hear her, and… this was before mother died. After that? She had trouble adjusting, she wanted to stay by my side…”

“But, she wasn’t with you?”

“She wanted to do more, so she started spending more time with Pimtvsetbe…”

“Oh no~, she isn’t all mean now, is she?” Seta frowns.

Then… she actually startles, surprised at Seta’s concern. “The last time I seen her? No, she’s still a lot like she was. She doesn’t like killing.”

“Well, neither does Lupus. In fact, she wants to bring everyone together like one big family.”

She hesitates, “...really?”

To which Seta quickly nods, “Well, yeah. Why is that so surprising?”

She opens her mouth to respond, but then closes it and something crosses by her eyes, “I… I’m going to talk to my… half-brother, now.” Her voice cracks and she walks away.

Seta tilts her head, huh. Longing? Regardless, Utvseie’s mood dropped, does… did she want to know her father? Seta wonders if Lupus feels the same about her mother… gods. Lupus doesn’t know about her draconic mother… and her siblings, wait. Lupus said she doesn’t even remember her father that well… Seta frowns. “We’re going as quick as we can, Lupus… we’ll save you, and… I’ll hold you as much as I can.” Her heart aches again, “Gods, I miss you so much… I-I don’t want to lose you… I want to be by your side again.”

* * *

Utvseie takes a breath as she approaches Ryoma, her brood’s eldest half-brother, pure human. Uncertainty is the first feeling that bubbles up… she knows her brothers, her youngest sister… but nothing about her half-siblings, aside from what she observed while in the army. Authoritative and protective are the first two things that cross her mind. After that? She dislikes this feeling of not knowing. It took her years to get her brothers into a more… ‘acceptable’ state. She quelled the eldest brother’s irrationality for charging in without thought, managed to fix at least one of the middle brother’s hoarding habits, and kept the youngest brother from impregnating every single viable female within a several mile radius.

All the while making sure their youngest sister got the proper attention.

She strides up next to him, and one of the things she gets is the scents of those two Ninja retainers of his. “Ryoma…” She finally speaks.

“Hm? Yes?” A calm and collected reply, curious… but a speck of happiness.

“How are you?” Slow and unsure.

“I’ve been…” She narrows her eyes as the smallest of hesitations, “well.”

“Liar.” She’s quick to retaliate.

He furrows his brows, “I have an appearance to keep up, sister…” His tone is lowered, but she briefly stops listening after ‘sister’, “...can understand, correct?”

“Y-Yeah, sure…” She nods.

“Is something wrong?”

“It’s just… you called me sister.”

He tilts his head while offering a confused look, “Well, you are, aren’t you?”

“A half-sister.”

“Family is family. I’d rather just refer to each other as ‘true’ siblings. So… sister.” He smiles. “Unless, you truly have a problem with that?”

“No, it’s… just different.” She pauses. “I’ve only known my three brothers for all my life… so to know that I suddenly have two more.” 

He nods, “I suppose I can understand that line of thought. On that topic, actually… there are you, Lupus, and three brothers?”

“Also a youngest sister.” She adds.

“I see. Would it be fair to bring us all together one day?” Good intentions.

Yet, she hesitates. “Us sisters would be fine… but the brothers need to be watched for various reasons.”

“Oh?”

“The eldest is prone to outbursts from his excessive pride, the youngest has a tendency to try and mate, and the middle… hoards, specifically food… fruit if the chance is there.”

He slowly nods, unsure, “I… think I can understand the eldest… but not so much the other two. Well, and what about you and the youngest sister?”

She gives him a look, offended, “Excuse you? I’m the one who is spending all of the time making sure those males don’t bring down the world around them! And our poor youngest sister! While I’m wrangling those brothers to make sure they don’t do something stupid, I also need to make sure that she also had proper attention.”

“I’m… sorry? What do you mean by that?”

“She has trouble talking. She…” Utvseie pauses, “Well, she has this problem… she can’t speak loudly. Everything comes out as a whisper.”

“That’s… is there anything that can be done?”

“If there was, I would’ve fixed it a long time ago.” She looks Ryoma over, “Speaking of fixed… how about your left arm?”

He stretches out said arm a bit, trying very hard to hide the grimace, “What about it?”

“...come here, brother.” She sighs.

“We need to…”

“Come. Here. I’ve dealt with three brothers already… another stubborn one won’t be an issue.”

“Lady, you will…” The male Ninja decides to make his appearance.

“Quiet, you.” She rounds on him. “Brother, here.” She stands next to the closest tree. “C’mon, this won’t take long.” She gestures again, “Brother.” Everytime that word comes out, it keeps sounding better and more right.

“Alright.” He finally concedes and he walks over. “So… you noticed?”

“Ryoma, brother…” She sighs with a smile, “Yours will be far from the first injury I healed…”

Ryoma extends his arm. “It’s simply a sore muscle.”

“And a ‘simple’ injury can get really bad if you’re forced to fight before it heals…” She pauses, “Never safe, always need to be prepared.” She gently grabs his arm, then tilts her head as her other hand glides across his arm, “Hm…” She hums. He’s right, it’s not much, but... “Panc.” A cool blue light radiates from the hand moving across his arm, which causes it to go briefly numb, “Jiev.” Cool blue changes to an intense red, letting a flash of heat surge through. “Ieti.” Intense red to a vivid green, leaching out excess heat and returning the arm to its previous temperature. “Nipf.” The more recognizable wave of healing magic follows, and now she finally gently lets his arm go. “Brother?” She calmly asks, “Don’t hide your pain like that again. Soreness, bruises, cuts, scrapes, gashes, fractures… if you need healing, come to me, okay?”

He moves his arm around, “It really wasn’t…”

“If you need healing. Come. To. Me.”

“...Of course. Thank you, sister.” He nods. “I have to admit, that was… unique.”

She smiles, “At least I didn’t have to pin you down to the ground to heal you.” She resumes walking, “Brother?”

He also restarts his walk, “Yes?”

“Do you like deer?”

“Perhaps not my favorite meat, but I won’t deny it. We need to keep our nutrients in check.”

“...Okay.” She nods. “Well, we got a lot of ground to cover.” That and… looks like she’s going to snag a deer tonight… hopefully he’ll like her cooking.

* * *

“Keaton.” Ka-da greets as he returns from talking to that woman who looks like Lupus.

“Kaden.” Keaty narrows his eyes. “She didn’t say anything about Wolfskin Packs.”

The other’s fur bristles, “She knows the conflict between both races…”

Another Wolfskin enters the conversation, “I’ve had my sister for most of my life, she left to get stronger, returned to me, but she was stolen… now I’ve met and befriended one of the nicest females ever… but now she’s been taken to be a mate.” Vella scowls. “So now what? Is brother going to leave me? Dadaan?”

“Velouria…” Keaty starts.

“Haven’t I lost enough?” Vella asks. “The pack, sister, Silky…”

“We’ll get Lupus back, we’ll form another pack.”

“And Silky?”

“That’s her choice.” Ka-da supplies. “But… if it helps… she does like spending time with you.”

“I know that.”

“No, I mean… ugh, listen.” Ka-da takes a breath, “There’s Selkie liking something and then there’s Selkie  **liking**  something, the first day she played with you, she just. Wouldn’t. Be. Quiet.” He flinches, “I’m sure she has rambled to you at least once by now.”

“Yeah, several times. The first time it was annoying, but… then it became actually very comforting, seeing her so happy.” Vella smiles.

Ka-da rolls his eyes, “Well, you obviously haven’t had her rant to you for over three hours.”

Then Vella smirks, “You’re right, I haven’t… instead I fell asleep listening to her rant and woke up the next morning to her rant. I don’t know why you dislike it so much.”

“There’s something wrong with you if you actually  **enjoy**  Selkie’s breathless speeches.”

“Is that so? I believe I have to agree with Vella…” And now Red is joining the conversation. “There’s nothing wrong with talking about what you love.”

Red spares a glance at Vella, Keaty raises an eyebrow at Red, Vella looks between the two. “Brother?” Vella sighs.

“Keaton? I’ve thought it over some more.” Red starts. “I understand the Wolfskin ways better than I had at first, I still can’t simply agree with it.”

“Ryoma…”

“What’s going on?” Vella asks.

“And you didn’t tell her?” And now Red rounds on Keaty.

“...Velouria, what do you think of him?”

“He’s a human.” Vella almost immediately replies.

“He’s a human who stood up to me, twice.”

Her tail wags a bit, “So? You weren’t shifted.”

“Velouria, you can’t hide your scent.” Keaty smirks. “You were impressed.”

Her tail speeds up, “No, I wasn’t.”

“Both your scent and tail says otherwise.” He presses.

Vella groans, “What did you tell him?”

“He suggested that for the sake of peace, that…” Red coughs with a slight flush, “You’d be my… wife.”

“Mate.” Keaty ‘corrects’.

“Wife.” Red insists.

“No.” Vella sternly states.

“If she says no, then my answer will be no.” Red nods, “‘The sake of peace’ won’t mean much if all parties don’t agree.”

“She’s strong.”

“She has a will of her own.” Keaty looks confused. “You’re Wolfskin. We’re human. We’ll respect your rules, you’ll respect ours. I’ll never force Vella to do anything she doesn’t want to… you don’t force Hinoka to do anything she doesn’t want to.” Red spares a glance at Vella, “And perhaps it has been my time spent with you all… I can see her more, erm… robust beauty?”

“Good looks don’t make strong offspring.” Vella states.

“And Ryoma is strong.” Keaty adds.

“He can’t shift.”

“Neither can Hina.”

“Keaton, Vella, please… enough.” Red cuts in. “The only way I’ll wed Vella is if she’ll agree… just like the only way you’ll marry Hinoka is if you both agree. Consent is mandatory.”

The following look on Keaty’s face was priceless… partly surprise from having someone so boldly say ‘no’ to him, partly for firmly establishing rules in such a strict manner and… “Oh, you can’t be serious. Stop!” Vella smacks her own tail, “No, he’s human, I don’t want him!”

“Your scent and tail can’t lie…” Keaty reminds her.

She levels a glare at Keaty, but slightly  **shies**  away when Red does the same. “I mean it, Vella. If you don’t want to, then I won’t. Don’t feel the need to give me a reason… ‘no’ is enough.” A short pause with a smile, “Feel free to think on it, to.”

“Kaden? Kaden!” The woman who looks like Lupus calls out, “Keaty, Dadaan, and Vella… all up front with me.  **Now** !” Vella, thankful for the call-out, quickly moves up to the front with Keaty, Dadaan, that woman… and Ka-da.

* * *

Given the ‘normal’ description, Qsoeqat would probably been seen as nothing more than a breeding machine, and while that is ‘normally’ so… he didn’t get this position as alpha from that. He fought the previous Wolfsegger and won, he united a number of Wolfskin packs with more… human tactics, and today? Today is proof he is capable of more than just endless rounds.

See, by the time the Hoshidan army came to pass through the mountains, there are dozens of corpses strewn throughout both within the dens that the middle brother typically resides in, and far past the dens itself. The prey?

A Nohrian army unit looking to ‘pass by’.

He looks around the den with pride, he then puffs up his draconic chest and lets out a second victorious roar…

Then he heard a roar in reply… Utvseie. He huffs, he hasn’t even really had time to hold Silky down yet. The eldest sister returned with the female Kitsune, she left… a warning howl was sounded out, and a battle was fought. A long battle… this was no scouting group, but an all-out army platoon. “Aw, it’s alright, that was still fun and we can do all of that other stuff later because right now I’m actually kinda… whew.” Silky yawns… completely unbothered by all of the other Wolfskin around her, “I gotta say… using a Beastrune to fight can take a lot out of me. I’m gonna like, take a nap…” Silky stretches.

“Fine.” He nods, “Not long. Be ready when I’m finished talking with my sister.”

“Yeah yeah,  **you**  better be ready.” She walks off into his cave with complete confidence.

He will admit without shame that he was staring at her rear the whole time… and can’t forget that luxurious tail… “Csuvjis.” Utvseie greets him.

He sniffs the air, “Totvis.”

[The rest should be soon out of your territory soon.] She states.

He gestures around, [And…?]

She sighs, [Fine, I’m glad to see you aren’t slacking in your training and I’m very proud to see you can hold your own.]

[It’s not just me, sister.]

A pause, [And despite your… tendencies, you make an excellent alpha.] She smiles.

[Hmph, I do.] He nods, [...Sister?] He notices a shift in her mood, [What’s wrong?]

[...I spoke to our eldest half-brother, Ryoma.] She frowns, [I wanted to know more about our father. I… I wish things were different.]

[He’s human.]

[He  **was**  our father!] Her voice cracks… biggest sister’s voice cracked.

He falters, [‘Was’?]

Tears, but… biggest sister is supposed to be the support, the motherly figure. [Murdered, killed by Nohrian King.]

He narrows his eyes and growls, [If I’d known that earlier, I’d have…]

Stern, tough… and just like that, she’s back to being the ‘leader’ of the brood, [We can help, but we aren’t doing this alone. We will work with  **our**  family.] Although the bulk of the army has already passed, she points in the direction they are marching, [We are half-dragon and half- **human** ! They are all our family, Yseranyx loves them and treats them like family… and so should we! Do you understand me?!]

He lowers his head, [...Yes, big sister.]

[I know how you are brother… repeat it.] Of course she does… she’s the one who ‘whipped’ the brothers of the brood into shape after they lost their mother.

He takes a breath, [Our brood is half-dragon and half-human, our missing sister loves and treats her human family with as much affection as she can, and so should we. I will not lead any offensives against the Nohrians or against the King unless it has been coordinated with the Hoshidan army.]

[Good…] She smiles again, [Now, I’m going to break off to find Nelstrasza, Mukanshin, and Belladonna. I’ll redirect them towards the army and… hopefully make sure there wasn’t too much damage done.] Something passes by her eyes, [Actually, I’m going to focus on finding Nelstrasza first, because his pride has already gotten himself into some serious trouble. The  **only**  good part is that he decided to assault Nohr.]

[...Then, shouldn’t you find Mukanshin first?]

She bobs her head, [He decided on… oh.] Realization. [I need to go… now. No, wait… I need to let the army know and…] She startles when he places a hand on her shoulder.

[How about… you take a rest, I’ll travel with the army in your stead, you can round up the others.] He smiles.

She chokes on a sob, [Brother… I can’t explain how happy it makes me to see you grow up like that.]

Slightly flushed from her praise, he looks away, but then looks straight at her, [Wait a minute…]

She smiles, [I’ll see you later, brother.] She quickly flees.

Did… he blinks his eyes. She just tricked him! She played the ‘overly tired mother figure’ card on him and… he fell for it. “Silky!” He exclaims. “You.” He calls out the only Wolfsegger in this pack, the previous alpha.

“Yes, alpha…?”

“Alpha status returned for a while. I need to leave.” He mutters a ‘sister’ with that.

“How long?”

“No more than a month or two. I’ll make a week’s trip when I’ve the chance.”

“Oh heya mate-guy! I heard you call me even though I was all curled up and ready to sleep in my awesome Nine-tails form even though there was some dust floating around and I really felt like sneezing but I didn’t want to because it would mean that I would have to move around and…”

“Quiet.” The Wolfsegger growls.

“Hey~! I don’t listen to you!” She flashes her fangs. “You can’t make me do anything!”

The middle brother laughs, “Silky? You’re coming with me. We got battles to fight.” He starts walking off.

“Oh really? But I thought we were…”

“Later. There are more important things to do right now.” He sighs. “As much as I want to…” He starts running.

“Oh, fine. We’ll have that all day challenge later… hey! Wait for me!” She runs and easily catches up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah-ha! Seta is back! Through her we get a lengthy conversation with Utvseie, it’s nice to see the eldest sister willing to talk… and sharing some of her experiences with her siblings, even if a lot of it sounds like it’s just her repeatedly explaining ‘why it’s bad to to this’. Alright, fine… maybe she is the ‘most patient’, it’s just that her patience ran thin over the years. Maybe we’ll get a little story from her one chapter? Like with Lilith’s life.
> 
> Utvseie is back for another round… following up her last line with Seta’s PoV on chatting with the brood’s eldest half-brother, Ryoma. It seems like she’s settling with the idea of bonding with her half-siblings, and whew. This part was quite satisfying for me, actually, as we get to see more of her ‘mother’ role she took up after their mother was killed and the brood had to flee. We also saw she also seems to have quite a bit of knowledge in the healing arts, too. Ryoma has a sore arm? Well, she applied some Icy-Hot relief… oh, and she might… cook for him, too?
> 
> Next up we got an even rarer appearance… Vella! Wait, did I ever even do Vella’s PoV before? Anyway, we get to start off with… Vella’s internal pain of the things she’s lost. The first is obviously Lupus, but at least Vella understands she can’t do this on her own. The second is another clear answer… the pack. The third though? Silky. Oh yes, Vella dislikes the fact that Silky was taken from them. Vella even… likes Silky’s rants? Well then. Oh, and speaking of Silky, it seemed as if Utvseie didn’t tell anyone where exactly she was going.
> 
> And there it is! If thou cast thy minds back who knows how many chapters back by now, ye shall remember Keaton bringing Ryoma to the side for a conversation. Keaton essentially offered Velouria as a mate for Ryoma.
> 
> Lastly is Qsoeqat and, oh… hey! We get to see the side of him that isn’t completely sex-driven! It seems he’s actually a very capable leader for those Wolfskin in more than just terms of raw strength. After that, we got to see a familial moment between the eldest sister and youngest brother, it truly seems like Utvseie’s personality is the motherly figure who has had their patience run dry after so many years of telling her brothers what to do.
> 
> I personally like that last bit… with Utvseie manipulating Qsoeqat to stand in for in the army. Heh… I think that is the most definite bit on her knowing her brothers through and through.


	65. Her Most Desired (Experiment)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

 

Queen Mikoto blinks her eyes, lets out a small yawn, stretches, then rises out of her bed. She has been getting some extra sleep in after saving her ‘son’ and suffering through the burning effects of the Magebane toxin thrice. Once with the initial injection via an arrow, the second with firing a magical arrow to kill the Nohrian who would have otherwise killed her ‘son’, and the third mending the Wyrmslayer wound that was made into her ‘son’.

True, Nalaptijep may not be hers by blood, but she meant what she said. She’ll treat him as her own. Even if… no, not that line of thought right now. She shakes her head as she goes to get and dons her attire for the day. There’s work that needs to be done… lingering Magebane toxin or not. Looking around, Mikoto takes a breath, grits her teeth, then summons just a spark of her magic. “Ngh!” Yep, still there, still burns. She frowns, which one of those Nohrians are so  **evil**  that they would even think to make something like that?

Kaze has every right to inject that vile creation into Zola.

Her eyes glance over to her small collection of personal, valuable things. A single vial stands, protected by wards and standard plush to make sure it doesn’t crack. See, most of the toxin was given to Kaze for interrogation purposes… Mikoto has a small batch of her own, not for self-defense, but for certain individuals, one will be the person who made this thing in the first place. The second would have been the one who dared impersonated her precious Sakura, but Zola is already screaming in agony from it, so… perhaps the second will be for Garon’s tactician. The third? She isn’t too sure. Perhaps she’ll just split the dosage between two arrows.

“Your Highness.” She hears Kaze speak from the doorway, “A moment, please? The… half-dragon wishes to speak.”

She nods, “Yes… please, bring him in.”

“At once.” It took but a several moments for the conversation to end, the doors to open, and Nalaptijep to enter.

At least he’s looking better, there’s an obvious heavy lean when it comes to that Wyrmslayer wound, however. “Raiim N…” He stops, blinks his eyes, then clears his throat, “Er, Queen Mikoto.” Well, there’s also the fact his arms are back to ‘normal’.

“Please, just Mikoto or… mother, if…”

“No.” His answer is quick, firm, but not aggressive. “Mother can never be replaced.”

She slowly nods, “Understood, but do understand I have no intentions of wanting to ‘replace’ your birth mother.”

He falters… was he expecting a more offended response? “Thank you, Mikoto.”

“All things considered, how have you been?” She offers a gentle smile.

“...humiliated, weak, ashamed. I’ve gotten overconfident and it nearly killed me. I was struck by the  **last**  thing I should ever get hit by… the humans made something that counteracts my Wild Magic.” Extreme self-deprecation. “Big brother, mother, dragons… all would shun my mistakes.”

“Please, don’t berate yourself like that. Mistakes are bound…”

“There are few enough of us as is!” He snaps back, “A total of six half-dragons, as far as I’m aware of, and maybe even less pure-blooded dragons! Faults. Are. Unacceptable! I refuse to endanger my kin because of failures!” His ‘yelling’ still sounds rather monotone.

Another topic, then? “You have siblings, correct? Aside from Corrin, that…”

“Her name is Ztisepzy.” He cuts her off.

Mikoto nods, “Zt...isep...zy.” That is a rather tough name when compared to his. “My question still stands.” She moves over to sit on the bed, “Would you care to tell me about them?” She pats on an open spot.

He opts to lean against the wall. “I respect eldest brother the most, even if he wastes resources.”

“Oh? How so?” From what she understood with Corrin, she would’ve expected her siblings to…

“He leaves bodies to rot. He rarely harvests them, digests them, nor siphon their life energies.” There is a disturbing emphasis on the last one. He then forms his maw, “I do not do the same, nothing goes to waste: bones, muscles, clothing… everything has its use.”

She shivers, “Pardon me, but I’m unnerved by your… fascination with this topic.”

“Why? I’m simply stating that I don’t waste resources.”

“Not that part, the…”

Recognition flashes in his eyes. “Consumption?”

“That.” She nods.

He looks at his maw, and she now notices the clear liquid dripping to the floor, which sizzles and makes holes. The maw then snaps shut and fades away. “I’m always craving more.” He mutters, though it’s loud enough for her to hear. “Hunger, feed, more, more.” A pause, “Eldest brother is the most prideful… and if it weren’t for his reckless behavior, he’d make the perfect leader.”

“He’s also reckless?”

“Eldest sister spent a lot of time lecturing, usually with actually beating him down, to get him to stop running head first without thinking of a plan before-hand.”

She gasps, “You’ve another sister? And she…  **beats**  him?! That’s just… just because you’re family…”

He shrugs off her concern, “Eldest sister kept up in line. Besides, she’d always heal him afterwards.”

“That is still abuse.”

“No, it isn’t. You don’t understand how stubborn we brothers can get. I won’t lie, I’ve been incredibly stubborn after mother’s death. Utvseie, eldest sister, hounded me on hoarding fruit until I finally gave it up… and started on my habit of direct consumption.”

Trying to ignore the other details… “You hoarded fruit?”

“By the cartful.” He admits with some shame. “Mainly apples… I like apples.” A small smile forms, “I ate them by the dozens… skin, the main fruit itself, stems, cores, seeds… all of it. It’s the only fruit I’d eat all of.”

“Is that so? Then… why not save the seeds and grow your own apple trees?”

He looks away, “I’m efficient with taking and eating… not giving and growing.”

“Would you care for some gardening lessons, then?” Mikoto offers.

“Not patient enough.” He huffs. “Besides, dangerous to stay in one place too long. Random apple trees will provoke suspicion.”

She frowns, “Very well… what of your other siblings?”

“Youngest brother was dragged and kicked out of our cave by eldest sister.” He  **smiles** .

“By the gods, what…?”

“Tired of him rutting with every possible female in the area. So, she kicked him out and advised him to become an alpha for a Wolfskin pack… and now he controls almost the entire southern mountain range. He’s actually a skilled leader, very capable.”

This is truly one unique family. “Okay… anyone else?”

“Youngest sister… silent, only whispers. Her throat is damaged… or something.” He shrugs, “Wasn’t really listening when eldest sister explained, just knew that it was hard for her to talk loudly. Besides, never had to take care of her and…”

“What?! She’s your sister!”

“And? Eldest sister took mother role.”

“It’s everyone’s job to take care of the other. That’s what families do!” She counters.

He gives her a dead look, “I care for taking, consuming, harvesting… sometimes shred, thrash, dismember, and…”

“Please, that’s enough.” Mikoto is becoming quite sick at the thought, how can he be so… “What is your view on life?” She asks.

He hesitates for a moment, “Just… life? Not life energies?”

Resisting the urge to cringe at the thought, “Yes. The common people, civilians, and…”

“A waste.” He bluntly states. “They quake and writhe, waste and decay, never caring to use what they have. They seek to blunder what resources they have, I grant them the reprieve of assuring that their essences will be better spent.”

“That’s a  **terrible**  view!”

“For you.”

She crosses her arms, oh… it is becoming so hard to sympathise for him. So… “I have a question for you… those people,  **my**  people’s villages, the innocents of Hoshido, by the gods, were you…?”

In kind, he crosses his arms, looking as detached as before, “You asked for my view, and I told you.”

Her eye twitches, “Then I’ve heard enough.” She takes a breath, “The more I listened, the more I asked, the more I was hoping that there was a portion of the Nohrian army that slipped by and slaughtered my people, but…” She stands, “It was you. I… I’m sorry. I… I can’t offer safety for you, I can’t offer security.”

He forms a thin line with his mouth, “I’d expect no less.”

“The level of crimes you’ve committed… without any care it seems, I cannot…”

“Hmph.” He cuts her off, not looking even a bit remorseful. “What then? Perhaps it would be best to  **not**  consider me your own.”

“Don’t… say that.” Her voice cracks.

“Eldest sister could.”

“I…” A pause, then determination, “I’m going to have to hold you accountable for your crimes. There’s no way…”

He gets off the wall and starts walking, “Then I’ll leave.”

“You…” She rises.

“I’ll go to Nohr and stay there. I’ll fight and kill there… and when this war ends… and if I’m charged with similar ‘crimes’ there? Then… goodbye.” He reaches the doors. “...For what’s it worth, thank you for raising Ztisepzy.”

“Please tell me you’ll cease attacking…?”

“I can’t promise anything.” He cuts her off.

“I see.” One more breath to steady herself, “I’ll give you a single hour’s window to get as far as you can from here… after that… I’m making my call. You’ll be marked as possibly the most dangerous and…”

“I get it.” So little emotion, “Bye.” Gone.

Several moments pass in an uneasy silence, and she sits down, “Kaze?”

“Yes, Your Highness?” With that glint in his eye, he undoubtedly heard it all.

“In one hour, send out my order… my verdict. Nalaptijep is to be branded with the aforementioned crimes.” A few tears threaten to leave her eyes. Gods, how can someone be so heartless? “I… I need to rest. That took so much out of me…” She sighs as she lies back down.

“Shall I have Orochi prepare some more medication?” He offers.

“If it’s not too much to ask.”

“Understood. I pray that you’ll rest well…”

“Thank you, Kaze.”

“I live to serve.” Once more, Mikoto is…

“My liege?” Orochi enters, “Oh, hello Kaze.” She then levels a somewhat concerned look at Mikoto.

“Is something wrong, Orochi?”

She first looks at her cards, then Mikoto, “I know my fortunes have never necessarily been wrong, but… even I have to admit this one isn’t right.” She fans them open and closes them several times in an almost nervous manner.

“What did you foresee?”

“A person looking like Princess Corrin entering your Castle.” She bites her lip after she said that. “I think… I think I might have foreseen some differences in her appearance, but the image was too brief and distorted for me to pick them out.”

Another of her siblings, then… Mikoto sighs. Hopefully  **he**  was the only one who committed those crimes in her lands. “Understood… Orochi? Send word to the elite guard of this… and only them. Then I want the elite guard peppered around certain posts.”

Orochi tilts her head, “Why not all of them?”

“The situation is getting more convoluted by the moment… the one that was just here? He was responsible for the slaughtering of Hoshido’s people… he is to be branded a criminal.” Mikoto moves to lie back down on the bed, “Now, I truly do need a rest.”

“Understood, my liege. Oh!” She quickly dashes in, “I also foreseen some use for this.” She procures a small bottle, “For your headache.” A quick smile.

“Thank you, Orochi.”

The Diviner bows, “Of course. Do have a good rest, my liege.”

Alright, and now Mikoto is alone once more.

* * *

Qsoeqat leans against a tree… near another tree where this Wolfskin alpha is leaning… which is also near where the brother of the vixen he  **wants**  to pin down is standing. A leader of a Kitsune hamlet, a leader of a Wolfskin pack, and a half-dragon who commands almost the entire southern mountain range of Wolfskin packs. Right now, the three are primarily partaking in a game of who can be the most dominant. Both ‘Keaty’ and ‘Kaden’ are proving to be very formidable in this manner. Granted, the two also managed to not tear the other’s throat out, despite being opposing beastfolk, so…

He shrugs. “Your pack raised my sister.” Qsoeqat looks at Keaty.

“Yep.” Is all the Wolfsegger says.

“And Lupus is of your brood.” The Nine-tail adds.

“That’s correct.” The half-dragon agrees…

Leading to several minutes of silence.

“You are the alpha of several packs.” Kaden.

“Yep.” Qsoeqat.

“How?” Keaty.

“I applied a different form of leadership. All the packs kept their current alphas… and whichever pack I was currently in would make me the alpha of that pack… until I left to return to another one.”

“Hmph.”

“Your sister made it sound like all you do is breed.” Kaden.

He smirks, “Can’t help it, the smell is so enticing… but no. I still train, and I lead.”

“She didn’t mention anything about leadership skills.”

“I didn’t know I had innate potential either… not until I became alpha of that first pack.” He shrugs it off.

“Oh yes… that defensive you pushed.” Woman, scar over face… has some giant bird following her. “I must admit, that was impressive.” A smile.

Qsoeqat nods, “Wasn’t flawless, lost a few Wolfskin in several packs… still, they fought in  **my**  territory.” Her scent rises at the mention of the victory.

“How many?”

“About a dozen total?”

“No, no… the number of Nohrians that fell.”

He narrows his eyes, “Didn’t count and I don’t care to. I don’t kill for the bloodlust, I kill to defend.”

Keaty nods, “It’s too risky to go out and kill.”

“Exactly. I’ve packs to defend, and I can’t risk my life by leading offensives.”

Woman tilts her head, “And yet, here you are.”

“I’m here because my eldest sister decided to trick me into staying here while she finds middle and eldest brothers… because when she returns with them, I’m leaving.” He rounds on her.

“Your sister tricked you?” Kaden.

“Not talking about it.”

“Hm… well, when you feel like sharing some war stories…” She starts walking.

“I don’t like her.” Qsoeqat states while she is still quite within earshot. “She’d like eldest brother.”

“Hmph.” Keaty.

“I think she said that he kills to kill?” Kaden.

“Yep.” A nod. “Eldest brother kills to spill blood… middle brother kills to consume and harvest. I kill to defend.”

“And… what about your eldest sister?”

Qsoeqat hesitates, “If she could kill with words… she probably would have erased either Hoshido or Nohr from existence already.” He kicks the dirt, “Scold, scold, scold… don’t do this, don’t do that. Don’t rush in head first… don’t hoard food… stop breeding every female. Complain, complain, lecture… and it’s always us brothers.”

“She really spoke that much? Geez, sounds like Selkie.”

“I’d rather listen to Selkie’s rants than get another lecture from eldest sister.” He sniffs the air and turns his head. Vixen is chasing the bitch around. He turns his head back forward.

“Did you never listen to her?” Keaty.

“Did I listen? Yes. Did I bother to remember? No. None of us did, really… Eldest brother still slaughtered humans by the dozens, middle brother still hoarded fruit by the tons, and I still rutted with as many females as I could pin down.”

“Heh, then you deserve her lectures.”

“Oh, I forgot to mention she always pinned us down while lecturing.” Qsoeqat sighs, “Or against walls… or held us up. She can boast about how she’s the ‘most patient’ all she wants… she’s really the most volatile.”

“Vola...tile?”

“Most likely to lash out.” A pause, “She’d tend to beat eldest brother, too. She thought it would help him stop randomly attacking people.”

“What?” This time, both Keaty and Kaden ask at the same moment.

“She’d also ruin middle brother’s food… usually with waste. As for me? She used her Wild Magic to make a spell that essentially prevented me from being able to climax.”

“Really? She acted more like a motherly figure…” Kaden speaks.

“Of course she’d leave that stuff out. But wait, get this… she’d do all that to us brothers, but the second youngest sister was the focus? Love, gentle care, attention. So, she’d walk around and say she’s treating us like she does for ‘our own good’, but then shower youngest sister with doting. I just think she doesn’t care for males.”

Kaden tilts his head, “She treated Ryoma just fine… even healed him.”

“Oh, she’d always heal eldest brother after ramming him into the dirt. She’d always cook a meal for middle brother after the fruit was thrown out. She’d always find a female in heat when her spell faded from me.” He huffs. “She best hurry up with her task.”

Kaden and Keaty share a glance, not that he noticed, “Hey, half-dragon.” Keaty starts. “How about some playtime… rough and fast?”

“Huh? Oh… you mean sparring?” Qsoeqat shrugs, “Sure, why not.” He finally gets off of the tree, as does Keaty, and they travel to the most open area in the camp they can get. “Standard rules?”

Keaty pauses… looks at his Beastrune, over in the direction Ryoma is in, over to where he knows Hina is, then back at Qsoeqat. “No full shifting… you can partially shift.” He smirks.

He looks him over… confidence, but not overconfident. Oh, this should be interesting, then. “Alright.” As such, neither of them shift, but stand on opposite ends. “Ready.”

“...as am I.”

* * *

Lupus raises her head, yawns, and gives an unconscious tug on her chains. Same chains, same cell. She growls, then blinks her eyes… oh, she didn’t mean to do that. A brief flash, some sharper senses, and the feeling of change… no. No shifting. She wants her Dragonstone back, she aches for the safety and security of it. She wants to be with her family again, her human family, Keaty’s Wolfskin pack, and…

Any thoughts she had were interrupted by steps. Sniff, sniff, familiar, oh… Lilith! “Pardon me.” She slips past the guards, unlocks and opens the cell door, then enters. “Lupus…” She smiles as she approaches. “How are you today?” Quick hands slide and press at various points.

Lupus clears her throat, “Casussoif.”

Lilith tilts her head, “Uj, Xussoif.” Lupus narrows her eyes at the offending ‘X’ sound. “Ecuav?”

[Urge to shift is getting strong… I need my Dragonstone.] A whimper leaves her.

Lilith nods, [Well, there’s a coincidence.] Now it’s Lupus who tilts her head, [Arena.]

The half-dragon licks her lips, [Kill?]

[No… you’re fighting Crown Prince Xander.] She frowns, [On top of…]

[I can’t beat him!]

[Lupus.] Lilith gives her a stern stare, [Listen. I saw him today and there was someone else by him, a new scent, but also… familiar. You might have caught her scent off of me.]

Lupus sniffs again, and while there is primarily what she considers ‘Lilith’, there are also tinges here and there… random guards, servants, but under all of that? Familiarity. [Who?]

[I… don’t know. I just know that part of her scent smelled like you. She’s a Maid.] Lilith supplies.

Lupus tilts her head, [Was it someone from your other, um… ‘lives’?]

She shakes her head, [No, it’s just… she’s dragon, or at least part dragon, but since I wasn’t close enough, I couldn’t identify much more than that.]

Then something in Lupus’s mind clicks and she remembers a bit from one of their other conversations, [Speaking of past lives… what about that milkmaid you… Abigail met? What happened to her?]

Lilith tilts her head, clearly in thought, before she forms an ‘o’ with her mouth, [Pardon me, I had to remember… around the time of my Ninja training, or was it after? Anyway, I walked around the city until I picked up her scent trail, it took a while, but I managed to locate her house. I then spent the rest of the day doing various tasks, and once nighttime fell, I snuck in.] Her tone doesn’t sound nearly as ominous as last time. [With my invisibility and scent blocking, I entered her room and casted two different spells on her.]

[So… she’s alive?]

[Well, yeah… death would have been too quick.] She almost looks offended by the idea, [One spell would slowly reduce her breast size… and the other gave her milk a spicy and sour taste.] And now she looks proud of herself.

[Wait… that’s it?] That sounds rather… weak.

[She has been breastfeeding for over five years, it’s the best thing she can do… and now she suddenly can’t.]

Lupus nods, [I suppose I can understand that, so… what happened after that?]

She shrugs, [I don’t know what happened after that, and I also don’t care. Still… I miss that child, she was so sweet and peaceful.] Lilith forms a cradle in her arms, [Sure, I can’t remember a lot of details… but I think I remember… black hair? Maybe?] She hums. [Actually, I hope that this happened earlier than I told you… I’d love to see her again.] A pause, then she sighs, [Well, I suppose we should get going…] Lilith takes the lead and Lupus follows.

The two make it through Krakenburg with little issue.

Back into the arena, Lupus simply keeps walking… across the final hallway, through the gates, into the large… sounds. A multitude of noises echo out as she enters. Oh wow… that’s a lot of people. Unlike like time, which only held Nycas, Garon, and Lilith… the upper area is now almost covered in people. So many soldiers and servants and other types of humans. “Princess Corrin of Hoshido.” And yet, Garon stands out with his disgusting grey skin. “You have been summoned here today to fight Crown Prince Xander in one-on-one combat.” He holds a glowing stone in his hand… her Dragonstone.

He throws it towards her and it lands with an ungraceful thud. She quickly dashes over and grabs it, oh… safe, sweet security. The dragon in her quells. She holds it close to her chest. The gentle pulsing of its magic, the faint scent that she knows is hers, but wait… she looks at it again, then tilts her head. Something’s different about it. Small changes, things she almost missed. Just below the surface of the stone itself, there are purple… specks sort of… floating inside of it. It  **feels**  wrong, but she doesn’t know why.

The crowd doubles their sound as Crown Prince Casander walks into the arena, with his special sword in hand. And… Lupus blinks her eyes, tilts her head, and focuses her sight. A woman is peeking in from behind the door Casander just walked through. The two lock eyes. White hair, red eyes… she looks like her. “Princess Corrin.” Casander greets her. “Focus.”

“My name is Lupus.” It takes her several seconds to actually look at him.

“Hmph.” He stands tall, “Today is the day. We shall fight until one of us falls.”

She can’t, but she has to win, she needs to live. Yet, despite that, images in her head come and go… one of a fight where Casander fights off Lupus, Hina, Silky, and Ka-da. Lupus gulps, takes a breath to steady herself, and lowers her stance. Once more, her eyes flick up towards that lone sword made of what seems like gold, before her eyes refocus on A Lord Casander. “I can win, I will win, I have to win.” She mutters to herself, unsure.

“Begin!” Garon shouts.

Casander’s first move is quick, a slash that almost caught Lupus off-guard. She steps back, forms a lance and one-handed shield, then strikes back with her lance. He easily side-steps it and goes for another hit, dodged. Attack, dodge, slash, sidestep, weave, thrust… it feels like their previous fight. Both are rested and ready to fight, neither can make first contact just yet. Lupus frantically looks over Casander’s form, trying to find a gap, a slip-up, something to give her an advantage.

She’s instead greeted with a faultless wall, every attempt is thwarted by some defensive maneuver. She growls. Dodge, step, duck, thrust, weave… the dance continues. “Ngh!” First blood, Casander slices straight through her shield… with the defensive partial shift just being enough from her losing her arm outright. The shield goes to her maw… why is his sword so deadly? It’s not a Wyrmslayer!

But then, something ‘clicks’ inside of Lupus. The next strike from Casander comes in… but it’s completely halted by her usual patch of scales… a patch of scales that are pulsing an eerie dark purple color. He looks as surprised as her, and even the entire crowd stops to gasp. Lupus quickly shakes the surprise off of her and snaps at him with her maw, biting a small piece out of his side. “Ngh.” She… she did it! She actually landed her first strike on Casander!

However, she snapped herself from her small victory to avoid another slash. Focus, focus. She thrusts with her lance, to which he easily dodges, she then opens the maw to snap at him, but his stops it with his sword and… nothing. She clamps down harder, then thrusts again, scoring her second hit. In response, he kicks her on the chest, enough to stagger, and he pulls his sword free. A small amount of distance is made, and the next strike is something completely new…

Casander raises his sword high and a bolt of black-red is sent towards Lupus, piercing straight through her body, lower left… near her waist. She hisses in pain, the wound is left with a burning pain, far more than any other she’s felt. Despite that, she fights through it and moves to attack him… maw for sword. She strikes, but he stops it with his sword again, except this time she also swings out with her leg, which is now the jagged sword form, and slashes into the same side where she snapped, cutting a deep gash into his side. “I can do this… I can do this…” She keeps reminding herself.

Then he landed his second strike, as there were none of those dark purple scales to stop him from slicing deep into her lance arm. She growls, forcing back the tears as her arm shifts back… so bloody. A large line has been cut into that arm, and as if to top it off, it’s the same side where two of her fingers are missing. Lupus grits her teeth as she dodges another hit. She has to do this… she can’t fall now! Readying her sword, she lashes out… to which she notices the sword to briefly glow that same strange purple color… And it cleaves through Casander’s armor with ease, leaving him with a gash across his chest.

What  **is**  this purple stuff? She knows it’s wrong, and part of her is screaming to stop it from showing, but… Lupus shakes her head. She’ll worry about it later, because right now, she  **needs**  to win. She’ll use this strange power to win, she has to. She refuses to die! Lupus jabs at Casander while he staggers back and the purple stays, her shifted sword slides straight through him.

More footsteps are heard, the crowd voices their disapproval… and the purple fades, her sword is forced to shift back and she pulls her arm out of his body. What? She notices that her Dragonstone isn’t glowing, almost as if it’s denying her. The next thing she knows, she’s planted to the ground, with a number of different people holding her.

Why? This is supposed to be a one-on-one… to the death.

The Dragonstone is ripped away from her and they drag her off. A scent enters the air, one Lupus knows. As she passes through the gate, a familiar woman stands aside. “Hello… Princess Corrin.”

“Nycas.” She’s quick to regard her.

The Dark Mage looks at the people holding Lupus. “Release her.”

“She is…”

“Release. Her.” A foreboding aura surrounds her, and the soldiers almost instantly cringe in fear. Lupus falls to the ground as all support suddenly leaves… yet, she can’t get up. “Hee hee…” She giggles as she crouches down, “I must say, that was rather close, wasn’t it?” She gently touches Lupus’s chin, then raises her head up some.

Despite the purple cloth over her mouth, Lupus can clearly see a satisfied smile. “What do you want?” Lupus then clamps her mouth shut… that’s not what she wanted to say!

Nycas tilts her head, “I want you, of course.” Closer, her mouth up to Lupus’s ear, “And I can’t have you if you’re executed, now can I?” A hand slowly strokes her face. “Oh yes… you’ll be perfect.” A small amount of magic leaves her hand and into Lupus.

“I…”

“But, not now, of course. Soon.” She slowly pulls away. If one were to look, it would seem almost as if the two were lovers, with how intimately she was holding Lupus.

“R-right.” No! Not what she wanted to say!

“I know… I know how eager you are.” She licks her lips, “I’ll see you later. There are… things I need to check-up on.” She rises, then walks, “She’s all yours again.”

“Yes, milady!” Wait, what? The attitudes of those guards completely changed. Nycas looks at Lupus with a smile… though this time it’s more predatory. One last noteworthy thing occurred on the way back… that woman she saw at the edge of the arena poked her head around one of the corners, tilting her head at Lupus.

And who is she?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, Queen Mikoto, recovering from her dosage of Magebane toxin. Though, this turns out to be a scene primarily involving the middle brother of the brood, Nalaptijep. And while it starts off as another ‘well, what are the other siblings like?’ It ends with… ouch. Yep, Mikoto knows now, and despite her just considering him her son, most certainly did not let him go free. She was ready to give her judgement right there, but… gave him enough leeway to leave. Was it a good call? Of course not, it’s clear he’s liable to just consume. Though, it seems he’s willing to focus on Nohr, so…
> 
> I think it’s safe to safe he won’t be around for all the celebrations after the war ends. And, oh… Orochi… obviously getting duplicate visions, am I right?
> 
> Next up is Qsoeqat, the youngest brother… who is making an admirable display of not trying to breed every female in camp! Instead, we get to hear more about him and… the eldest sister? Oof, seems like he has a rather low opinion on her and… um. Oh. Alright, looks like she dropped to some pretty tough tactics to get the brothers to stop doing things… well, maybe if they just listened…
> 
> Last up is none other than Lupus, and another bit with Lilith! So, we got a small bit of later-this-chapter hints, and the rest on that milkmaid story! Oof, the big-breasted milkmaid is probably now a flat-chested… something. Surely she isn’t a milkmaid right now, right? Unless there’s a baby out there who likes their milk sour and spicy. Aaaand, one last thing to say about that ‘past life’... it seems Lilith is doubting when this happened, *hint hint*. Now then…
> 
> A one-on-one duel with Xander. Surely taking their last fight into consideration, this would be heavily one-sided fight, right? Well, until it’s clear that something isn’t quite right with Lupus’s Dragonstone, it’s like someone gave it an experimental boost. So, surely it’s a coincidence that Nyx was waiting for Lupus outside of the arena, and also happened to comment about how she survived. And as if that wasn’t strange enough, it seems Lupus was saying things she didn’t want to say.
> 
> Oh, dear…
> 
> Two small comments for Lupus’s section. One is the double-appearance of the ‘mysterious’ woman whose face looks just like Lupus… and the second is the, well… second mention of that golden sword located within the arena.


	66. An Empty Shell of Her Former Self

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: (Oof, out of all the fics…) I’m hitting some relatively dark, macabre points in this chapter. The final PoV might not sit well with you. Reanimation, worthlessness, gore, and soul vore are the main ones. I’ll provide a brief summary at the very end if you wish to skip it. It will be labeled as Dragonling’s ‘Life’.
> 
> (Normal) A/N: That… last PoV took it all out of me. This chapter will be lacking in word count, but I’m certain the last PoV will more than make up for it in how hard it hits.
> 
> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako. Lastly, only Selkie/Silky refers to Corrin/Lupus as Lu-pu.

 

Matriarch Azura frowns as she sits beside Lilith, and they are both near Lupus, who has been strangely magically drained from her, ugh, arena fight with Crown Prince Xander. Not to mention the large scar that runs the length of her arm. Unfortunately, without Lilith being a first-hand witness, with Lupus remaining unconscious… Azura has no means of knowing what exactly happened. The half-dragon isn’t magically capable, so she doubts they gave her a tome in that fight.

And to top it all off, Lilith can’t pick up any other scents, aside from Xander, Lupus, and herself. So, there’s also the lack of evidence that makes it more suspicious.

“Oh… hello, my daughter.” Azura’s mother walks towards them. Excluding the similarities from bloodlines, Arete does keep her hair shorter and up into a bun. “Zimipe.” She smoothly greets Yelena. “And… Princess Corrin.” A frown.

“Hello, mother…” Azura’s eyes remain on Lupus. “She has…”

Arete raises a hand, “I’ve heard of the events. It irks me to no end to know what King Garon allowed.” She gets closer to Lupus and crouches down, then gently places a hand on her forehead.

“I don’t know what’s wrong…” Lilith suddenly starts, “Her Wild Magic is just fine, it’s only the standard magic that is drained… resistances are down, too.”

“Interference?” Arete suggests.

“I…” The pure-blooded dragon Maid starts, but her ears twitch, “visitor… dragon. That same one I saw earlier.”

As if on time, a gentle knock strikes the door. “Do, come in.” Azura speaks up, and the person who enters? Well, Azura had to do a double-take. She looks almost exactly like Lupus, bar the fact that she looks a bit younger.

“...” The white-hair and vivid red-eye woman opens her mouth and it moves, but Azura didn’t hear anything. She creeps in closer, eyes trained on Lupus… with her own eyes glistening with tears, and it seems as if there’s nothing but happiness across her entire form. “... …” Her mouth continues to move. Tears fall, but it comes out as eerie, since there isn’t any sounds accompanying it. “...!” She reaches the bed and the first thing she does is hug the other. “...” She climbs into the bed and holds Lupus close.

“Are you of her brood?” Arete asks, startling the younger-not-Lupus.

Her eyes snap up, and she nods, “... sister.” There was another word before sister, but Azura couldn’t hear it.

“Missing sister?” Lilith asks… ah right, sharper hearing. “My name is Lilith…”

“...”

“Cimmefuppe?” Lilith nods.

“Um, perhaps you can speak up a bit?” Azura asks.

She tilts her head, “...” Then she holds hands to her throat and coughs.

“She can’t, Matriarch. Her vocal skills are torn due to…” Lilith pauses as she says something else. “Erm, her pitches is dictated by the amount of… toxins?” She nods, “The amount of toxins in her body.”

“Toxin?!” Azura exclaims.

“Cimmefuppe’s body naturally forms them.” Lilith continues to supply. “She usually can’t speak above a whisper.” The other nods.

“...” A frown now adorns her face as she gets up from the bed.

Whatever she just said, Lilith startles, “I-I’m sorry? I don’t think I heard that right.”

Azura decides to lean in. “I-I… I need to return… to Lord Xander.”

“What? Why?” Azura is quick to ask.

She shakes her head, “Long, so long… explanation. Later, maybe… it was nice to meet… you all.” A small smile forms, “Good people, I… like good people.” She rises off of the bed, then her being pulses some magic, and her appearance changes to have a Maid’s outfit. “...” And just like that, Azura is out of earshot.

“Then at least allow me to escort you back.” Lilith offers. A pause from the other woman’s end, before she nods. Lilith looks at Azura, “I’ll return soon, Matriarch Azura.” A bow.

“I’ll be waiting, Lilith.” Shortly after, the only ones in the room are Azura, Arete, and Lupus. “Mother? Is there anything else we can do for her?” She returns her attention to Lupus.

“Perhaps… there are still things you can learn.” Arete smiles, a motherly kind of smile. “Though, in this specific case, it would be best for her to simply rest. We might be able to speed up the process a bit.” She reaches out and touches Lupus’s forehead. “First, I’ll try and go through a far more advanced technique.” Her hand glides down Lupus’s more heavily damaged arm. “Every little bit counts, and the loss of those two fingers is hurting her more than she might know.” All the way to her hand. “Daughter… Lupus may be the first half-dragon we know of, but we also know that shapeshifting carries over specific wounds. The loss of extremities, like fingers, are undoubtedly causing her ‘partially shifted’ weapons to strike weaker, as well as leaving raw spots that are highly susceptible to attacks.”

“Understood, mother.” Azura’s gaze follows her mother’s hand. “Then, you’re going to show me a spell to…?”

The smile turns melancholy, “This isn’t an open wound like a gash. Yes, I can… you can tap into some greater magic to do so, but you’re also going to need a conduit that aligns with the target.”

Azura tilts her head, “So, you are going to use your fingers as a focal point?”

And now she has a frown, “I’m afraid ‘focal point’ is too tame a term. Azura, daughter… you need to know that the magic I’m about to cast is not easy by any means, on top of being a delicate process.” Shing… Arete pulls out, of all things, her self-defense dagger. “I’m also willing to go through the cost of it.”

“M-Mother?!” Azura gasps.

“If you don't have the stomach to watch, then I’ll ask for solitude.” Arete looks her hand over… before a veil distorts and reveals something Azura had never seen before.

Claws.

“I… what?”

“This isn’t the first time I’ve casted such a spell… I’ve given and taken parts. But now? I have the feeling that the remaining casts will be giving.” She looks directly at Azura, “So, I’ll ask once… are you willing to watch?”

Azura’s eyes flick from her mother’s dagger, to her mother’s hand, then Lupus’s missing fingers. She gulps, takes a steadying breath, then nods, “Yes, mother. It’ll hurt to just watch, but I need to learn.”

“Then assure the door is locked, we remain undisturbed, and I’ll begin.”

* * *

Kaden’s ears twitches as he stretches from his current position. He looks around his form, quickly noting that Kagero isn’t resting with him right now… though it seems she took the time to brush down the fur she was sleeping on, as well as making sure his Nine Tails… nine tails are properly curled up, as if he fell asleep on his own. A soft smile forms as his body warms up… she’s so nice. He yawns, then decides to get up, before… actually staying in his Nine-Tails form. He raises his head high and sniffs the air.

Magic.

Kaden looks around, before a faint, almost unnoticeable, pulse of magic from the North. He tilts his head. He walks over to the edge of the smaller camp and looks out. It… it has to be some incredibly potent magic, since he can’t see anything from here. Strange… and wrong. “Heya brother!”

Kaden groans, “Not now, Selkie. I’m busy.”

“Oh, poo… you’re always busy even if it seems like you’re just standing around waiting for…”

“Selkie, stop.” The vixen huffs.

“Alright, talk to you later!” Whew, that’s one lengthy conversation spared.

“You felt that, too?” And in comes that youngest brother of the brood. “Magic.”

“Yep.” Kaden nods. “It isn’t right.”

“I agree.” Kaden glances at… ugh, however his name is pronounced, and notes that there are still some leftover cuts and bruises from his spar against Keaton. “But also… familiar.” He tilts his head, “I want it searched.”

“Without knowing anything…?”

“I’m going to search it.” He presses. “I… I recognize that…” Desperate.

“Listen to yourself! You’re willing to run headfirst into a powerful source of magic?”

“ **Wild**  Magic!” He snaps back. “And that means there is a dragon over there!” He takes a breath, “I’m going to make sure that that dragon there is at least healthy.” Just like that, he starts walking…

And all the while, Kaden has this pit forming in his stomach. He isn’t about to leave alone. So, he turns back into camp, with one specific individual in mind. If he needs to fight, he’d rather fight with someone who is practically his opposite, because wherever Kaden has a weakness, the other has a strength.

He’s looking to get Keaton.

* * *

“Hey, Keaton!” The Wolfsegger levels a look at Kaden, who is approaching him with a fair bit of worry.

“Yeah?” While he isn’t exactly thrilled to have the Nine-Tails near, the two have begun tolerating each other better, to the point of sharing… admittedly awkward conversations.

“That… brother walked out of camp.” He starts, “There’s a huge pulse of magic coming from the North, and I’ve a bad feeling about it.”

Narrowed eyes, “So you ask me?”

“I want to deepen our relationship, and I think a quick trip will us good.”

“How far?”

“If we run? Few minutes.” Kaden shrugs. “He’s probably there by now.”

Keaton clears his throat, “Your level of running or mine?”

“Oh… erm. Alright, maybe fifteen minutes.” A sheepish smile. “The question still stands… are you willing?”

Keaton hesitates, then looks at the Beast **rune**  that Kaden just gave him… he nods. “Alright, I’m in.” Don’t get him wrong, he isn’t exactly  **wanting**  to do this, but… steps need to be taken if bonds are going to be formed.

“Alright, so… let’s get there before anything big happens.” Kaden starts off the run… before probably remembering that Keaton is not a Kitsune, so he slows down.

“Heh…  **if**  anything big happens.” Keaton chuckles as he starts his own run.

* * *

Qsoeqat looks over the place he sensed a huge magic spike from… Wild Magic. It’s a desolate place, but somehow… he didn’t actually ‘see’ it until he felt like he crossed some sort of threshold. See, at first all he saw was Nohrian plains, but after this… wall? A… fort of sorts. But, it’s not a  **big**  fort, it’s like a stronhouse. A single large…

Mansion!

A single large mansion looms over this area, yet because of that magical wall, he couldn’t see it beforehand. Aside from the mansion, there are piles of bones littered around, and if it weren’t for the heavy magical residue, he’d assume his eldest brother had went on a killing spree here. Well that, and there are far too many bones for a single place.

Almost like these bones were brought here.

He narrows his eyes… there’s no danger being brought to his senses by his instincts, so he continues. Qsoeqat reaches the door of the mansion, reaches out, then pushes it open. A rush of cold air blasts his front and the smell of decay hits hard. Steady, calm, he enters. More bones, some random organs here and there, blood stains on the floor and walls. Also quiet, on an unnerving level. Yet, the pulse of Wild Magic remains. So familiar, if he can get closer he can figure it out.

Cold starts to sting his body more and more as he moves on, so much so that he forces any remaining draconic parts out… leaving him as human as he can look. Even still, his breath comes out in small puff clouds. He reflexively holds himself for a bit of warmth. He tracks the pulsing to a door, it opens to reveal a flight of stairs heading down… the basement. Again, he takes a moment for his natural senses, his instincts are remaining quiet. Step, step…

**Slam** !

The door behind him closes with such force that he’s surprised it didn’t just break. Instincts are still quiet, but he decides that this is enough. He rounds on the door and forms his… “!” The cold cleaves into him the second his body starts shifting. Forcing the shift back again, he insteads kicks the door.

He’s greeted with a reinforced door, on top of an enchanted lock. Not good, not good… and it’s at this point that his instincts are finally firing up…  **screaming**  at him! Almost like… they’ve been suppressed. Shamble, creep. He hears movement from the lower portion. Click-clacking, dragging, watery, slimey, all sorts of sounds echo up. Lights start appearing, but they aren’t natural… all magic-based lights.

Drip, drop. Qsoeqat rolls forward as some sort of slime-thing drops from the ceiling, the residue it creates sizzles straight through the metallic stair-steps. He touches the top of his head and feels a similar absence of hair and skin. It creeps forward as nothing more than a blob: no face, no arms, no legs. Red like blood, he isn’t even sure it’s ‘crawling’ towards him or if the natural laws are just pulling it down the steps.

He needs another way out.

The youngest brother of the brood descends further, granting him a chance to see the many other monsters lurking. What seems like the skeletal remains of a Wyvern. Several beasts that have been stripped of their fur. Humans that are missing chunks of their body, one of them is even outright skinned. However, out of all of those, nothing catches his eye like one of them. A young dragonling, covered in sickening purple scales.

He just found out where the Wild Magic is coming from.

But, wait… why is the dragonling not affected by the cold in here?!

“Epuvjis upi…” The dragonling speaks. “Kuop…”

Qsoeqat growls, not willing to give this… abomination the pleasure of talk. A sentiment it agrees on, as the fur-less beasts and humans charge him. Then a chilling cold reminds him that it would be foolish to shift here. He dodges a wolf, receives a glancing blow from what he assumes is a stag, a stray… bone sword hits his side, an icicle comes from one of the humans, and he manages to recover just enough to seize the skinless human by the throat and gives it a quick and effective neck snap.

Only for the wyvern to slam him onto the ground. [Don’t… kill.] The corrupt dragonling orders. A grunt comes from the wyvern as he pins Qsoeqat without much issue… even without all of its former fat and muscle. A quick flash of light follows as the dragonling assumes a human’s form… a small girl. Though her skin is stricken with purple and her eyes are outright  **black** . [Mine.] A sick smile adorns her face as her hand reaches to touch his face. [I  **need**  your soul.] Despite all of the threats, her hand glows a soothing blue, [Give it to me… I’ll make sure you’ll feel only a sweet release.] Her face looms in closer, magic constricts his body further, and her mouth hovers right over his, as if for a kiss.

Slam, crack. The ceiling above starts to give way as an exceptionally powerful blow splinters it. The dragonling hisses out some order, as the others move into a different position. “Too easy.” Keaton, in his Wolfsegger form, comes crashing down from on high, outright killing the undead human below him. “Aw, disgusting…” He  **slaps**  another one way, but it holds enough force to cause the once-living human to bend when he hits the wall.

“My turn!” Kaden, in his Nine-tails form, zips past so fast that even Qsoeqat couldn’t keep track… if he had the chance, since this dragonling is muttering whatever incantation she needs for this spell.

Qsoeqat wanted to yell, but merely opening his mouth caused him to feel like something inside him was slipping out. The skeletal wyvern roars as it digs its claws into him, trying to get him to focus on the wyvern, rather than resisting the spell.

A blue mist starts to fill the air between their mouths, and the small girl eagerly licks inside his mouth, as if enticing this mist out more. [Mine, mine.  **Mine** ! I… I want my  **life**  back!] Her voice cracks as she continues. [Everyday, so cold, so empty… she took it from me. She took it all! She locked us down here.] The small girl outright cries, [You think  **this**  is terrifying? Imagine waking up everyday without a purpose, no emotion, just a blank canvas! So please, let me taste freedom again. I’ll… I swear I’ll return your soul! Even if it’s just a day!]

The wyvern is knocked off of him, yet right as Keaton was going to, most likely literally, rip her in half… “Wait. Just… stop her. Don’t kill.” Instead of Keaton, however, Kaden simply tackles the small girl off of Qsoeqat, whose heart has ceased to stop pounding. The blue mist that was leaving him re-enters his body, and he takes a single huge, heaving breath. A dripping noise reminds him that the acidic red blob is still around. So, he rounds his gaze on her, [Who is ‘she’?] He demands.

[I want…]

[Does she still have it? Your soul?]

She stops resisting entirely, then nods. [So cold, there’s nothing. Sleep, food, there’s nothing to look forward to. We sleep to pass time.]

[And now they’re…]

[They are good friends… they’ll come back.] She cuts him off with such a chilling tone. [Just like me. An endless cycle… we can starve, thirst, impale, kill, but we don’t die. She has us locked here…]

[And  **who is she** ?!]

She looks at the skeletal wyvern, then back at him, [We don’t know her name. A Dark Mage, so powerful. She looks so young, too. Everything magical here is by her spells. But…]

[What?]

[You felt it, too… right? Dragon? Wild Magic?] She trembles and remains in place, even after Kaden lets up some pressure. [Then… your instincts tell you everything is fine… but then you walk down and… locked.]

He grimly nods, [That sounds almost exactly what happened to me. I felt a pulse of Wild Magic and I…]

[So many bones,] Again, she cuts him off, [human, Wolfskin, Kitsune, wyverns… an old dragon. She somehow is using the old dragon bones to make all of this.]

He takes a breath, [If she dies, will you…?]

[I don’t know. Maybe if she dies near me?] She sighs… defeated. [I just wanted to taste freedom again.] She licks her lips, and he swears he saw a little bit of lingering blue mist around her mouth.

[Then why don’t you just leave?]

And perhaps it’s him seeing things… but now he’s sure some of the blackness in her eyes has faded, leaving behind a distinct forest green color, [Because I don’t feel any purpose. I want to go out, but then what? My mind goes blank, and suddenly going outside feels meaningless… I’d rather just stay here.] Just, wow… [I’m… sorry. You were just the first I’ve seen in so long that I wanted your…] Something in her shifts and suddenly her gaze turns hungry… thankfully Kaden is there to reinforce pressure, [Oh… yours tastes so appetizing… please. Just a little more, I won’t take all of your soul, just enough to get me by…]

Another dragon, this one ‘dead’, stuck. [I’ll find her, then. I’ll kill her. I’ll get your soul back.]

[You… will?] She sounds emotionless, and there’s not even a glint of hope in her almost completely black eyes. Rustle… the skeletal wyvern rises, its bones knitting back together with unnerving efficiency, [No, don’t fight.]

“Hold. They won’t attack.” Qsoeqat supplies for the other two. Soon after, the humans pick themselves back up and literally pull themselves together. The beasts are last, who let out a weak grunt as their wounds close. [Yes, I will. There are few enough of us as is… everyone counts.] He reaches out with a hand, [I promise.]

She looks up to him, his hand, then just simply nods. [We’ll see then… won’t we? I’ll… be here.] She gets up off the ground, reassumes her dragonling form, then flies over to a spot. The skeletal wyvern follows suit and after it lies down, she… enters his rib cage.

“Listen… not that I’m bothered by this, but can we leave?” Keaton asks.

“Uh, yeah… I’m going to need a thorough bath after this… then an extra long brushing.” Kaden adds.

“You aren’t going to ask what we were…?”

“Pfft, no.” The Wolfsegger huffs.

“They are pacified. We are safe. I don’t care.” Kaden nods.

The red blob comes into view… but it just slowly ‘climbs’ up one of the supporting pillars, to the roof, and around to where the door is.

“Yeah… let’s leave.” And when he partially shifts? No cold. [Stay safe.] Is the last thing he tells the dragonling with midnight-black and just a speck of forest green eyes before he and the other two leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, Matriarch Azura and Lilith, watching over Lupus. But wait, what’s this? Arete is here, too? Oh… and now Bella enters the stage. So, we’ve two people of draconic heritage and we know Lilith is highly aware of Nyx’s existence, so… with how close Nyx was with Lupus last chapter, how come Lilith didn’t pick her scent up? Strange. Regardless, there’s the final topic of… erm, I honestly did cringe at a few times during that last bit. Arete is going to… cut off some of ‘her own’ fingers for Lupus, yet it’s also clear that those aren’t her fingers, but claws… maybe an old wyvern’s? Either way, that’s going to hurt.
> 
> I’m just gonna double up Kaden’s and Keaton’s, since I switch from each of them more for a short scene skip, rather than actual parts. So… a bit of suspicion, a hint from Kaden and Qsoeqat about some nearby looming threat… that for whatever reason, only they notice. Aaand, a bit from Keaton and Kaden starting to show some legitimate bonding moments in the form of one helping the other.
> 
> Alright! The main event… Qsoeqat. Whew, I mean, it’s kinda hard to pin something like this down without reciting the majority of it. First off, a mansion and its surrounding area completely veiled by magic… Wild Magic. The place is riddled with bones, and soooooo much magic. You enter, and… yeah. I can’t really do much for this. Though, I can at least state that we all had a taste of the crimes this Dark Mage has committed.
> 
> ...And, of course, I’ve no shame admitting that this fic has covered almost all of my topics so far. *ticks off a box with the requirement of (at least attempted) soul vore*
> 
> Dragonling’s ‘Life’: The youngest brother of the brood, Qsoeqat, entered a basement that contains experiments. Mangled human and beast bodies, one undead wyvern, and a dragonling without a soul. After a fight in which Qsoeqat was quickly disabled due to the cold present in the room, the dragonling attempting to essentially kill him… both Keaton and Kaden drop from on high. Killing the reanimated bodies, saving Qsoeqat, and they left. The dragonling spoke of a Dark Mage that did this to all of them, and that there old dragon bones which are fueling the spells.
> 
> Qsoeqat promised that he’ll find and kill the Dark Mage, and… hopefully, return the dragonling’s soul.


	67. One Giant Step in the Name of Unity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gotta admit, for the first ‘real’ time since they’ve been brought in… the Dragon Squad is getting minimal screen-time this chapter. It’s time for some of the other characters, and their associating sub-plots, to get a little… kick.
> 
> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako.
> 
> Selkie refers to Lupus as Lu-pu, and Qsoeqat as... Quacker.

 

 

Princess Sakura takes a slow breath, then attempts to pull back her Yumi’s string, a bit more… a bit more… her arms tremble as it only goes just a few half-inches past its halfway point… before her arms give out and the practice arrow all but flops to the ground. “I’m never going to get back to where I was…” She mutters, a few tears already forming. “You gave me all that training for nothing…” She stoops down to pick up the arrow, knocks it into place, and attempts again.

“Woah, wait… sister!” Takumi swoops in and, maybe a bit too forcefully, grabs the Yumi from her. “You can’t start training again yet… look at your arms.”

“I’m… tired of sitting down, or laying in bed, or…” She chokes on a sob, “I want to help again.”

“You can do plenty of help by healing.” He attempts to calm her.

“And I also want to be able to defend myself… and the people I love.” She counters with a surprising amount of determination.

“Yes, well… as the expert archer here, I know that you aren’t physically ready to train.” He stubbornly puts his foot down, “Remember? I didn’t just hand you a Yumi when you first asked for training, I had you go through other routines beforehand.” He holds onto the Yumi with a sad smile, “How about I get some of those training pieces, and we can start building you up again?”

Too long… it took her a week back in Shirasagi. But, she was actually healthy the whole time, she didn’t suffer from extreme muscle loss or that… evil toxin. “No… maybe I’m better off just healing.” Her inner fire fades just as fast. “We all know what happened last time I tried to fight.”

“Huh? Wait, no! That’s not what I meant, I…” He face-palms, sighs, then looks at her…

Except that she’s already walking back to her tent. “My liege!” Hana smiles at her, looking far better than she was just a few days ago.

“Lady Sakura…” Subaki also walks up to her, two bright smiles.

Sakura looks at both of them, “Where’s… Prince Leo?”

The mood drops ever so slightly, it seems neither of her retainers are fond of him. “He’s practicing with Tomes right now.” Subaki answers. “I actually tried asking him to use a Scroll instead…”

“Okay, thank you, Subaki… I’ll go see him.” A smile forms on her face and her heart picks up just a bit of speed as she walks towards the ‘magic’ portion of the training grounds. Suddenly though, her mouth goes a bit dry and she feels nervous… even more so when Lord Leo is in sight. What should she start off with? Maybe she should go back to her tent and make sure her hair is right? A bath? Perfume? Does she have too much lingering makeup on? Does…

“Princess Sakura?” Lord Leo acknowledges her.

“Um… h-hi, Lord Leo…” She breathes in as the last two memories of her kissing him resurface, causing her face to redden.

“Are you well?” Which prompts him to get concerned for her. “How’s your nutrition coming along?” Gods, he’s so thoughtful, “How about sleep?”

“I’m fine, just… how are you?” She smiles, “I mean with your… tome and all. Brynhildr?”

A pained look crossed his face, then he reaches into his Dark Knight armor and pulls out the Divine Weapon. He looks over to the training dummy, opens the tome, extends an arm and… “Brynhildr.” Sakura feels a pulse of magic, but that’s it. The tome defiantly refuses to give him the desired result. “It hurts like no other pain I’ve had.” He finally answers. “Can you imagine how High Prince Ryoma or Prince Takumi would feel if either the Rajinto or the Fujin Yumi just stopped reacting to them?”

_“How the hell is it not working for me?!”_  She can imagine Takumi yelling.  _“I’m the best archer in the entirety of Hoshido!”_

_“Wh-what? But… the Rajinto_ **_chose_ ** _me…”_  A more subdued imagined-Ryoma states.

“Oh… I suppose I can understand.” Sakura nods. “Um… so. Subaki told me he asked if you wanted to try a Scroll instead.”

A sigh, “I know... you don’t have practice Tomes. I’m fighting with Hoshido, I should be using Scrolls.” He pockets the Brynhildr back in his armor and looks at the Fire tome.

A sudden thought crosses her mind… if her body can’t withstand the force of using a Yumi, then maybe… “Well, what if, um… if we… pr-pr-practiced t-t-t-together? With… Scrolls? I mean, I don’t have any experience in them either, but if they’re like the differences between a Festal and a Staff and Lady Elise has already great skill with Hoshido’s Festals then maybe you can transition easily to a Scroll and teach me.” Sakura takes a deep breath, her nerves going straight through the roof and her face is outright red.

At least, to her credit, Lord Leo also has a slight flush on his face, “Then, you wish to learn about magic-based combat?”

“I’d love to.” She quickly nods. “From you, I mean.”

“...Then perhaps I will attempt to learn the subtle differences between a Tome and a Scroll.” He smiles, “So, Lady Sakura…”

“Please, just Sakura.” She says after a short pause from his end.

“I dare not, you are royalty, so we should address each other as such.”

“Well… I don’t want t-to be… ‘Sakura the Pr-Princess’ when I’m with you.” She looks away, “I’d rather be ‘Sakura the…’ Her voice catches.

He chuckles, and it sends almost unfair amounts of warmth through her, “I understand… Sakura.”

“Thank you… Leo.” A short bow.

“Shall we begin, then?” He smiles.

* * *

Princess Elise skips into the clinic, before grabbing her bag of super-important healing supplies. “Hey~, wait a minute!” She looks around, “Where’s Princess Sakura? Hana? Anybody~? Hello~?” She lets out a dignified and totally Princess-acceptable huff. Aw come on, she knows she cleared them to walk around, but… Elise shrugs. She was getting used to seeing them here so often. Then her eyes land on the third cot, where that person who looks like Princess Corrin, if Princess Corrin was a guy. “Hey there! What’s the matter?” She hops over to him.

He startles awake, sweating. “Huh?” He places a hand on his chest. “Oh, hey…” He settles down, “Just a long night.” Eyes wide, breathing fast.

“You had a bad dream, didn’t you?” She assumes, correctly of course… and she knows because she’s an awesome healer! “Y’know, we got herbs to mix together for that kind of stuff.”

He tenses, and she notes that some...thing passes by his eyes. It looks kinda empty, actually… it looks like a part of his vivid red eyes is completely black. Like… close-your-eyes-tightly-and-put-your-hands-over-your-eyes-dark type of black. It’s creepy. “I’ll be fine.” He shrugs her off.

“Yeah well, you say that… but I’m gonna give you a quick inspection anyway.” She puts her bag on the side table, grabs a Festal, and looks him over. She hums as she periodically sends out pulses of ‘detective’ magic. When she reaches around the chest area, she gets a feedback… nothing. See, she normally gets some kind of interference with this pulsing, but in one spot? Nothing. It’s like he’s missing some of his internal body. “Um, you are most certainly  **not**  fine.”

He looks down to where her hand is hovering over. “Just a small internal wound.”

“Uh, no. I’d be getting some response if there was anything… this is like. You have a big ‘ole hole in your body… even though you don’t.” She supplies.

“I just need some rest.” Geez, being a bit unreasonable here, aren’t you? Must be his… ‘dragon’ side.

However, she can also tell she won’t get much progress forcing the issue. “Alright, well… if you feel like  **anything**  is off, come back to me, alright?”

He hesitates, then nods, “Okay.”

“Awesome! So, I’m gonna be in the mess hall for a bit, because I’m hungry~!” She giggles, places her Festal aside, then skips out of the clinic.

* * *

Keaton is leaning against a tent as he looks at Kaden, who is simply standing across from him… well, actually it’s less than two lances away, so that’s something different. While their trip may have not have even been an hour or two, the fact that they traveled,  **alone**  and without trying to tear each other apart, is a feat in itself. A mutual bond of respect, which can all be traced back to Lupus, raised by Wolfskin, but showed a want… a need to have Wolfskin and Kitsune to ‘get along’.

Which is why the next question that is going to be asked is so significant. “Hey, Kaden?”

“What’s up?” His ears perk up.

“Wanna hunt together later?”

A pause, a smile, and a nod, “Alright. But, uh… just like a normal hunt, right? Not a competition?”

Keaton licks his lips, “What’s the matter? Afraid you’ll lose?”

Kaden stands tall and huffs, “As if. I can easily bring down more than you.”

“Yea, maybe all of the little bunnies and tiny squirrels… but how about the big game? Bears and stags?” He puffs his chest up.

“Better a feast of small ones than being unable to find several large ones.” Kaden counters. “There’s a reason why Selkie hunts down the birds.”

“And how much energy does she burn running and jumping around? Better off killing  **one**  bear and having enough for two or three.”

The two approach each other, “Fine, seems like this will have to be a competition.”

“Heh, you’re on.” Keaton smirks.

* * *

Lupus groans as she awakens to one of the strangest sensations in a while. A soft, fluffy bed. She blinks her eyes as she rubs the surrounding sheets. It smells so nice, comforting… like home. A smile forms as she rolls around a bit, grasps the sheets and… wait a second. She raises her ravaged arm and looks at it, her hand, her fingers… they’re… back? How? Lupus tilts her head as she uses her other hand to touch, just to make sure she isn’t just dreaming… especially with this bed she’s in.

Nope, as real as the other fingers.

“Ah, you’re awake.” A woman who looks a lot like Azura walks in. “How are you feeling?”

“Who…? I mean. Okay? I guess?” Lupus looks around.

A small giggle escapes the other, “My name is Arete, I am Azura’s mother.” A smile.

“Oh…” A slow nod, “Um.”

“You are currently resting in one of the rooms in my family’s estate.” A gentle voice, kind of like mother’s, actually. “Lupus? I don’t suppose you remember what happened?”

She tilts her head, “I fought against A Lord Casander and I was actually able to stand my ground, but after I dealt a heavy blow, I felt drained and I collapsed. He was too wounded to continue and… that’s it.”

“Truly?” Intense concentration, “Nothing else?”

“I… saw a woman a few times, looked like me.”

To her surprise though, she nods, “That would actually be your youngest sister, Cimmefuppe. She visited for a short while earlier.”

“My… little sister? Cimmefuppe?” The name easily slides off of her tongue. “But, why did she leave? Can I see her now?”

“She… didn’t explain why, but she’s with Crown Prince Xander.” A pause.

Then Lupus, somewhat reasonably, bolts up, “What?! Why is she with that… why?! He’s  **evil** !”

Arete takes her outburst in stride. “At ease Lupus. Perhaps she simply doesn’t know the events that happened.”

“I need to…”

“No.” Such a commanding tone. “Leaving now means you are rested and ready to go, which will most likely mean a second attempt on your life. Lupus, you  **need**  to stay… you’re too close in the political balance to where we may not be able to protect you. With the rise of other half-dragons, Lord Xander and others of similar minds are finding more means to overcome our reasoning. If you spark off with any sort of anger, any sort of hatred, then that will all but assure us losing this political battle.”

Deflated, Lupus nods. “I don’t understand, but… okay. Can you at least try and get her back here?”

The oppressive aura fades and she smiles again, “Of course, she is a very sweet woman. Quiet, sure, but very nice. I think you’ll instantly connect… even if you weren’t related, I think you two would make great friends.” Arete rises, “But, before I do that… is there anything else you need?”

She was about to say no, but then she realized something, “My fingers…”

The smile turns grim, “Through a delicate magical process, I’ve transplanted two of my fingers to you.” She raises the affected hand. “And with some simple illusion magic, I’ve assured that those two fingers will ‘feel’ and look like your original ones.”

“But, won’t you…?” She trails off.

A distortion comes and goes across Arete’s hand, and now there are nothing but long claws, “You aren’t the first, Lupus. These claws are from wyverns that were nearing the end of their lives… primarily the ones retired from the army.” The haze returns and leaves, and now they look just like her fingers. “Now, is there anything else…?”

“Well… this might be tough, but… if there’s a full moon coming soon, can I go outside and howl to it?”

Arete tilts her head, “I’m sure I could. In fact, I’m confident that the only condition will be that you have an escort at all times.”

A smile, “I would love that so much… thank you, Arete.” Lupus slumps back down into the bed. “And, um… thanks for the… ‘help’.”

A laugh follows, “Don’t thank me for that, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to quell your heat.”

“Qu...ell?”

“Soothe, to stop.” Arete supplies. “Now, have a good rest, okay?” She moves to the door, opens it, and gently slips out.

Lupus smiles as she pulls the covers closer, “I like her, she’s nice…” She mutters to herself.

* * *

Castle Shirasagi… it definitely proclaims ‘royalty’. The building is far too large for a single family, but… Utvseie isn’t the judge here. She came to find her hoarder of a brother…

_[What_ **_is_ ** _that?]_  Utvseie once said while being the current guard for the brood’s den… after mother’s death. Creak, creak, roll. She easily picked up Nalaptijep’s scent, but also a huge amount of something else. That something else revealed when she saw the dozen or so apples peaking over the hill. But then he actually came into view. That fool of a brother was rolling in an overloaded cartful of fruit, mainly apples.  _[What were you thinking?! What if you got caught? Attacked?]_  She jabs a finger at all of that fruit,  _[We can’t even eat all that before it goes bad!]_

He scoffed at her,  _[I can.]_  He stubbornly pushes the fruit cart into their den.  _[I like fruit.]_

_[I know you do, but this is absurd!]_

He grabbed an apple, and shoved over half of it in his mouth, a loud crunch follows,  _[It’sh mine.]_

She narrowed her eyes,  _[You’re sharing it…]_

_[_ **_This_ ** _is mine.]_  He popped the rest of the apple: stem, seeds, twig, and all right down into his waiting mouth. A few moments of chewing before he plucks another right out. He leaned against the cart as he just sat and them by the handful.

Utvseie shakes her head at the memory… no matter how many times she forced them down to listen, those males just never truly changed. Cimmefuppe is far more reasonable, she truly hopes that she’s also alright. She stops at a random place in the market, before noticing something that sends her blood cold. A ‘highly dangerous’ notice of one of the last people she’d want on that list. ‘A white hair, red-eye male. Rate of lethality is incredibly high,  **DO NOT ENGAGE!** ’ She pinches the bridge of her nose, “Katv… xjz?” She mutters to herself in Draconic.

Oh… if he’s considered this terrible, she almost loathes to find out what kind of trouble the eldest got himself into.

“Indeed, he’s responsible for the slaughter of at least three villages.” A voice suddenly speaks from behind her.

A man… one with the faint scent of her brother. “And let me guess, he consumed most of the bodies, didn’t he?”

“Utvseie, correct?”

“Nalaptijep is his name.” She supplies. “Given the posters, I’m assuming he isn’t in the castle.”

“That would be correct. Queen Mikoto gave him a one-hour reprieve to get as far as he can before she made the call.” She finally turns to see a green-hair man, Ninja garb?

A partial growl exits her. Why are those two brothers so violent? She honestly rather deal with the youngest brother’s sex drive again. “Give him time, he’ll learn…” She mutters to herself again, “Maybe a few mortal wounds will clear his head.” She then levels a look at the man, “A question, if you don’t mind.”

“Perhaps we could speak on the way to Her Highness? She requests your presence.”

Which causes her to raise an eyebrow, “But… how? I just got here.”

A smirk, “Through a special process called divining.” He gestures towards the castle, “Shall we move?”

“Lead the way.” She simply replies, then adds, “Um… name?”

“Oh, my apologies… my name is Kaze.”

“Kaze.” She nods, “Ryoma told me about finding a strange object guarded by wards, I’d like to see that.”

“...You’d need to ask the Queen for permission.” He answers.

“She should have no say in that. She’s not blood-related!” Utvseie is quick to counter.

“Nor is it my call.” Stern.

* * *

One day she makes the call to have one of them marked as one of the dangerous criminals… the next day one of the sisters comes into her castle. She sighs as she awaits the next one in her throne room… perhaps it has been the multitude of heavy crimes against her people and family, but there is a tinge of loathing for this meeting.

So, when this woman comes calmly walking in, not looking to demand answers from her, a sigh of relief follows.

“Queen Mikoto.” She even gives a short bow. “Utvseie, eldest sister of our brood.”

“Hello, Utvseie.” Mikoto returns the greeting with a gentle smile. “How are you doing?”

A pause, “I’m sure that, as a mother, you can understand my frustration with the other siblings?”

A nod, “To an extent… though I never had to deal with them killing innocents.” A bit of aggression in that statement…

But it’s nothing that seems to bother her. “I spent the better part of five years trying to round my brothers up to get them to behave.”

“With force?”

“Well, yeah… it’s the only way they’ll listen.”

“No, no no.” She quickly declines. “They need to change on their own, if you wish for them to change, give them reason to. Instead of simply telling them that killing is bad, try to figure out why they want to kill, find out the root problem, and work to help them out from there.”

A pause follows, “Pimtvsetbe, eldest brother, is extremely prideful. He has all but discarded his human side. He’s taken to revenge after mother’s death.”

“Revenge?” Mikoto echoes, “Hm… the cycle of revenge will never fulfill him. Even if he were to, hypothetically, kill every last human, he would end up filling hollow. He needs another motivation, something more positive…”

“Army?”

“No.” Mikoto’s response is swift, stern, and absolute. “That won’t help him… if anything, it will make the problem worse. Instead of disciplining him, you’d be giving him a reason that ‘yes, it’s good to kill’.”

“Oh…” She shies away some. “Well…”

“...How young were you when you assumed the role of ‘mother’?”

Her eyes dart around for a bit, “Around twelve? Ten? Dragons typically don’t keep track of years.”

Oh my, that would explain her more… ‘irrational’ approaches. “I see…” And to top it off, she was having to take care of almost fully-grown adults, so whatever their mother couldn’t teach them, she had to attempt to teach.

“What would you suggest, as a mother?” The tone in her voice truly shows she wants the best for her siblings… even if she doesn’t know how to approach it.

“For the eldest? If he is prideful about his heritage, then teach him about how others can be as great as a dragon… there is more to power than just raw strength. If he seeks revenge, then advise him to feel empathy for those who have also lost things precious to them. Your brood’s mother isn’t the only to have been killed in such a heinous act. There are other people suffering from traumatic events. Instead of directing anger and violence, reach out and connect with them… offer consolation in the form of a similar past.”

For a moment, she simply stands there, head tilted, “And… that will… work?” She seems amazed.

Mikoto nods, confident, “In time, yes. Recovery is a long road, and the worse the trauma, the longer the time… and in some cases, it may never heal. You might only be able to bring down the triggers to a manageable level.” A few memories come and pass, “I would suggest a different outlet. I’ll admit, my second eldest, Hinoka, was the most devastated with Corrin’s abduction and Sumeragi’s death. She spent weeks wracked with pain, hurt… but instead of training to simply ‘kill Nohrians’, she trained to save Corrin… a more noble goal, one that would leave her filled with satisfaction, rather than emptiness.”

The eldest sister remains silent for longer, eyes blinking, before taking a visible gulp. “Th...thank you.” She then shakes her head, “I have a request… there’s an object that Sumeragi… that father kept warded, I want to see it.”

“I see no harm. Very well.” Mikoto nods, then rises to walk, “Please, follow me.” She smoothly moves past her, and she slowly follows. “I do appreciate your company.” Mikoto states as they leave the throne room.

“...thank you for your advice.” She almost mumbles.

* * *

Vella’s ears twitch as she rises from a nap, stretches, then lets out a loud yawn. “Mmm…” She hums, then looks beside her. “Oh, hey Silky.” She lazily greets.

Before the vixen could respond, her tail starts wagging, “Heya, Vella!” A giggle as she rises.

“I’m surprised you aren’t beside, um… tough-name-guy.”

“Oh, Quacker?” Silky tilts her head, but then nods, “Yeah, don’t care much for his name, so… Quacker.”

“Quacker…” Vella echoes, then smiles, “That is a lot easier.”

“Well, anyway…” She puffs her cheek out, “Yeah, he was a lot of talk about wanting to do this to me and going all day, but ever since like, yesterday, he’s like… just there.”

“That’s just one day.”

“No! That’s not what I mean, it’s like… alright, he’s usually got his scent going about him and all that, y’know? But now that’s not even there.”

A sigh, “You are too worried, maybe he just doesn’t have the urge right now.”

“...maybe.” A frown.

“Silky?” Vella slowly asks, “Would you mind doing something really important with me soon?”

“Huh? Sure, why not? We’re friends, right? And friends do friendly things with each other!”

“On the next full moon… would you howl with me?”

“Ooo I like howling it feels good to just let loose and release all of those tough emotions with a deep breath rearing your head back and just showing the whole world how tough you really are so of course I will do that with you because I know that even though you are hiding it really well that you are hurting without Lu-pu here and I really miss her too so we will work together and do all we can to save her so we can all be happy and play and have fun and ooo all of the chasing and bird snatching and sniffing and hugging and rolling in the dirt and…” She  **finally**  takes a breath. “I’d love to, Vella. Let’s howl together.” A quick nod as her tail is moving as fast as it can.

Vella simply smiles, brought up by her  **friend’s**  seemingly endless energy and happiness. “I’ll be looking forward to it.” A pause, “Hey… Silky? Wanna play?”

She flashes her canines, “Yaaay~! I thought you’d never ask!”

* * *

Dadaan growls as he slams a bear into the ground, before immediately picking her back up, using her as a makeshift weapon to bring down a few trees, then cracking her entire body in two. He then heaves a breath as he takes a few steps back, so drained… “Hmph.” He unshifts, then stumbles backward. He looks at the bear corpse while his muscles ache… third, fourth bear today? How many trees? Stags? He already stripped all of the previous bears of their meat, then turned around and burned it right out him.

...How long did Keaton spend his time like this? Only to find out that their birth pack was assaulted by those three women and were forced to flee? He huffs, he needs to get stronger… get the Wolfsegger form, and… and save Lupus. An internal hurt hits him at the thought of her being so far away… it’s not a need to protect simply for the next generation, it’s something more, stronger.

Love, perhaps?

One more breath, Dadaan rises, then moves over to the bear… snap, swing, trip. “Whoooops~.” A female voice sounds out, familiar scent…

“Seta?” He asks out loud.

“That’s me~. Whoever and wherever you are.” He moves past a few trees to see her caught by her ankle on some vines. “Oh, it’s you… hello, Dadaan~.” She lazily smiles.

“What are you doing here?” He asks as he simply claws the vine, then catches her before she lands on the ground.

“Hunting… but it seems like everything is either dead or fleeing.” She seems to have no problem hanging upside down. “Hey… you’re really muscular, but it’s a more bulky muscle… Lupus is lean muscle.”

Dadaan chuckles as he gently places her on the ground, feet-first that is. “That’s how Wolfskin are.”

“So… what are you doing out here?”

“Pushing myself to get my Wolfsegger form.”

She forms an ‘o’ with her mouth, “That explains why everything is like… already hunted.” She looks around, then back at him. “Ears down, tail still, muscles tense… what’s wrong?”

Hmph, seems she's as good as 'seeing' body language as ever, “Lupus.”

“I miss her, too.” Seta frowns, then extends her arms.

“A hug? But…”

“A friendly hug. We’re friends, right?” She smiles.

“Are we?” He asks.

Arms drop down, “Well, you love Lupus. I love Lupus… aaaaand we aren’t fighting over her.” She points out.

“Love is supposed to be for one, that’s what she said.” A small spike of aggression.

“I’ll also respect whatever she chooses. If she wants you, then… I’ll wish her the best.” Hurt.

“Even if that choice hurts you?”

“In the end, as long as she’s happy.”

“And what about your happiness?”

Seta pauses, then thinks it over. “If my happiness comes at the cost of hers… then I don’t think it’s worth it.”

“Well, what if she is with me, but she isn’t truly happy because you aren’t there?” A fair question, right?

“Dadaan… what are you getting at?” She tilts her head.

“What do you mean? Er… did I miss a ‘human thing’?”

“To me, it sorta sounded like you were asking to… share her.”

He shakes his head, “One male has many females, not the other way around.”

“Well, for Wolfskin, maybe.” She leans on her side, on hand on her hip. “Not humans. There are such things as one being married to multiples… polygamy.” She continues to supply, “Royalty is the most commonplace example.”

“So, what you’re saying is… it’ll be okay for Lupus to be with you  **and**  me?”

“Yep.” A simply answer. “But, I’ll only agree if you and her are okay with it.”

Dadaan pauses, uncertainty due to lack of understanding, among other things. “I’ll think about it.”

“That’s fine with me.” A pause, “Hey… wanna hunt together? Meat supply is getting a bit low.”

A chuckle, “Alright.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, let’s take almost the exact opposite of the last chapter’s final PoV and turn it into a beautiful, somewhat awkward scene between Sakura and Leo. It seems as if Sakura is reclassing to an Onmyoji, thus fulfilling the combat route that I had planned for her. Shrine Maiden to Priestess to Onmyoji. Also, this does mean that Leo is training in Scrolls, hopefully the Brynhildr will get some better insight so Leo can start casting with it again. Alright, other than that, there’s Sakura going on her first cute little ramble. *nods* I think they’ll work well together.
> 
> Princess Elise, doing her healing rounds, only to find that she just missed Sakura and Hana. Oh, that’s okay, because the youngest brother of the brood, Qsoeqat, is in there and… oof. I’ve dropped some pretty dark bits for him, haven’t I? Something that seeps into this chapter, since, if you read it and recall… the young female dragon’s eyes were not completely black by the time Qsoeqat left. She has regained some of the original color in her eye… but now he is missing some of the color in his eyes, as well as having that ‘empty’ spot. She literally has a piece of him inside of her right now, so… hopefully he’ll get it back when and if he can get hers returned.
> 
> Keaton… yep. I chose to cut it off quickly, because I believe that small bit is enough to prove that there is some hefty development between the two. Keaton and Kaden probably spent about an hour or so together, but now they both agree to a round of hunting… and who knows how long this will last. A Wolfsegger and a Nine-tails… hunting together. Erm, or rather… a hunting competition… together, like a friendly competition.
> 
> Ah, Lupus waking up in an actual bed. Too bad she missed her sister, though, that would’ve made a good conversation, but wait… what’s this? Lupus does not remember the purple effects in her Dragonstone or her encounter with Nyx? Oof, well then. Hey, at least she has ‘her’ fingers now… if by ‘her’ I mean ‘Arete’s’ and if by ‘Arete’s’ I mean some random old wyvern’s.
> 
> Next up is the connected Utvseie and Mikoto. Granted, more of the big stuff is with Mikoto, so… hey! Despite her initial skepticism, Mikoto and Utvseie ended up getting along pretty well, and the Queen gave the eldest sister some potent advice.
> 
> Alright... Velouria, which seems to be another scene like Keaton’s… ironically enough. A huge step forward in Kitsune and Wolfskin relation, this one with her asking Selkie to howl with her during a full moon. Wait a minute… Lupus is also planning to howl at the next full moon.
> 
> And the last one this time? Dadaan. Let’s see… ooo, looks like he’s pushing himself for the Wolfsegger form, but the main attraction here is a conversation with Seta! And, oh… oh my. Why are all the big steps being taken in this chapter? The idea of polygamy is passed from Seta to Dadaan, so… we’ll see how and if that works out later, yeah?


	68. Divine Weapon, Laced With Venom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, taking the initial push from last chapter… and turning it into some serious progress this chapter. Huge steps are being made, with a chunk of it being for the war effort.
> 
> Also, once… twice… this will be the third chapter where a certain weapon is mentioned, and the rule of three is in effect.
> 
> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako.
> 
> Silky refers to Lupus = Lu-pu. Qsoeqat = Quacker.

 

Bella silently follows Lord Xander and his two retainers as they walk the halls of Krakenburg. The Crown Prince has been summoned by the King, and the three are to accompany him to the throne room. The… 'Maid' can easily feel the animosity coming from the blonde-hair retainer, Charlotte. She can also feel the gentleness produced by the behemoth of a man, Benny. Then there is the sturdy wall, the Crown Prince himself, the reason she is in the position in the first place, Xander. Still, knowing that her long-lost sister is safe within the Draconic House puts her mind at ease. It means she can help the good people… stop the bad stuff.

"Benny, Charlotte, Kim." Due to the 'atrocious' length of her name, Xander tends to call Cimmefuppe, Kim. "Remain outside, if there is a need, I'll call you in."

"Understood, my liege." Charlotte is quick to respond.

"...of course, Lord Xander." Benny gives a stiffer response.

"Be… safe, Lord Xander." But of course, no one actually hears Bella.

Xander opens the door, enters, and closes it. Benny stands guard on one side, Bella scoots over to him…

Charlotte rounds on her, "Whatever it is you think you're planning, missy…"

"Charlotte, please." Benny interrupts.

"There's no-one around… besides, she's trying to steal  **my**  spot!" While her hands stay off of her axe, Charlotte definitely is pooling with aggression. "And she never talks, either." Benny remains tight-lipped, Bella looks away… Benny stands beside her, "Aw, come on! Why you gotta take her side? Is she also trying to suck up to you?"

"Bella hasn't done anyone any wrong." A clipped response.

"... **yet**." Charlotte adds. "She's obviously playing the long game. She's younger than all of us, she's trying to get on Lord Xander's good side so she can bed him!"

"...please stop." Bella whispers, though she notes that Benny's form shifted a bit… oh, so he  **can**  hear her.

"Charlotte, please stop." He powerfully echoes her words.

"No way, not until she backs off… look at her! She's practically humping your leg!" Charlotte approaches, "Let me guess, that's something you picked up from your mother, didn't…?!"

The world stops. Bella's breath catches, tears start streaming down. "M-M-M-Mother…" She whimpers, while holding herself. "Don't… l-leave me."

_"I said run!"_  Her brood's mother roared.

_"Come on, sister…"_  Utvseie literally picked Bella up.

_"Protect…"_

_"No! That woman is coming, and mother said to leave!"_  She snapped back, but there's nothing but affection, concern.

Bella falls to the floor… intense magical pulses, several roars, each one weaker than the last. Bella blinks her eyes, noticing that the floor turned into a metallic black, oh wait… " **understand**?!" She picked up whatever Benny was just shouting.

There's a distinct red mark on Charlotte's cheek.

Benny's holding Bella.

Benny just slapped Charlotte.

"Warmth, closeness… Benny nice." She mutters.

Charlotte huffs and walks to the other side of the door, then looks away. "Are you okay?" Benny whispers in kind. "You panicked… trauma?"

A slow nod, "Mother… killed."

"My sincerest condolences, Kim." He gently lowers her back to the ground.

She was about to respond, but her ears twitch as the voices within the throne room actually grew loud enough to hear… "This is the  **last**  time, Xander! I will make this clearer than the skies in Hoshido… I'm giving you one more chance to give that… thing an 'honorable' death! If you fail, I will have her executed!"

"Understood… father." Lord Xander must be rather close to the door, considering Bella heard him. An assumption that proves true since the door opened shortly after, "We're leaving." His statement is stiff and swift and…

Bad stuff.

She looks to one of his sides, where a sack is strapped. She tilts her head and… Xander levels a gaze on her, then shakes his head. "Who…?" Is… is he going to use that?

"Kim… you are not allowed to interfere with this one, understand?" She doesn't like that. "Royal orders." In response she slowly nods. "Good, we're leaving."

"Milord, if I may ask…" Charlotte starts.

"Charlotte, go and have Princess Corrin escorted to the arena, asap. If she hasn't recovered, then have her healed." Wait… Princess Corrin is Lupus, and Lupus is missing sister. Bella holds back a gasp. She doesn't care if it's an assumption, the danger is there.

That vial is meant for her sister!

* * *

One moment, Lupus was somewhat relaxing in the Draconic House… the next, a small group of soldiers with orders directly from the king come barging in. Even Arete couldn't offer any help this time. As such, she was quickly taken away, another set of magical shackles and one livid blonde… "You." Lupus growls at the woman.

"Yes, it's me. Charlotte… Crown Prince Xander's finest retainer." She smiles. "I hope you're ready… because you get to have another duel with Lord Xander in the arena." She stands tall, proud, "And this time it's to the death."

"What?! I, I haven't…"

"Recovered? Don't worry, milady, there will be an experienced healer to make sure you are battle-ready." She smiles. "And once you are out of his hair, then that'll be one less distraction for me."

"Ah, Charlotte." Some grey-hair young looking soldier walks up, "Perfect timing… do you know where Lord Xander is? I have an urgent message for him." Lupus sniffs the air, he has a familiar scent on him… though it's faint, so whoever it is, this person wasn't with him for a while.

"He's probably at the arena right now. Very busy and… what the?!" She literally rubs her eyes and looks past him, then back at Lupus.

"Hm?" He then turns around, "Gods… there you are!" That woman who looks just like Lupus stands behind this man… the scents line up. So, she's her sister, then? "Please, don't vanish like that again… are you okay?" He looks her over, then reaches up to whisper. "Um… excuse us… and thank you, Charlotte." He quickly moves to the side and listens to her. "Gods, again… I can't do anything about that." Lupus's hearing is sharp enough to hear him from here, even as she walks away. "Closer? I can't… alright, a little. But I'm serious this time, don't leave my sight. Do you realize how…" And now she's too far away.

"Hmph." Charlotte huffs, but thankfully remains silent for the rest of the journey…

However, that doesn't provide Lupus with much time for thought, because it almost seemed as if time sped up, she was in the same hallway to the arena as last time. Which means A Lord Casander is on the other side. Leaving almost no time to dwell on thoughts, Lupus feels a wave of healing, the shackles clank to the ground, and she's given a Dragonstone… the same solid watery blue as the last time she held it. "Go." She didn't even get to look it over before she was shoved forward into the arena… again.

The crowd is there again, as is the King, though he looks far more livid than last time. "Princess Corrin!" He shouts, "I'm going to make this clear… this will be a life or death match. The Dusk Dragon will be observing this duel." Her eyes flick over once more to that strange golden blade… why is it so entrancing?

Then her eyes level down as A Lord Casander enters, his special sword out, but this time? She notes a difference… underneath that dark purple and red fog-glow part, there is a hint of a sickening green. Poison? This isn't fair! How come… "Princess Corrin." A Lord Casander states. "...prepare yourself." And that's it, he charges.

Lupus barely managed to avoid the first slash, and she quickly formed her lance and maw, because she knows her shield is almost worthless against him. She's better off focusing on evasive movements, she can't afford to get hit. Dodge, weave, duck, stab, miss, snap. As with last time, whatever offense she used was countered or blocked by his defense and any defensive maneuver she used was slowly becoming less and less useful.

And then it happened, poisoned-tipped blade met scales and… well, it felt like nothing at first, but it wasn't until her scales started fading that she knew something was wrong. It was like… that toxin is reversing her partial shifting! Not good, not good! She desperately focused on her Dragonstone to… nope, her dragon feels so far away! Panic quickly rises. Lupus is unable to calm herself, so vulnerable. She… she hasn't felt this weak since…

Before she left the pack to try and find someone to teach her how to use a sword.

Except this time, this isn't a man who makes minor cuts with small weapons, this is a man who could easily dismember or even behead her with a single strike. This is a man who took out Vella in one hit. This is a man who survived fighting against so many. Panic falls to fear. The last trigger, fight or flight? She can't flee, the gates are locked. She can't fight, her draconic heritage is negated. There never was a third option. So, what happens when both fight and flight are guaranteed to end in death?

She… doesn't know. Give up? Just let him win? Her body locks up, indecision combined with fear, uncertainty… she closes her eyes, make it quick, easy, hopefully painless. She grits her teeth, and… "Look. At. Me." He practically orders. "If you wish for submission, then face your death with conviction!"

"Just… get it over with." She trembles.

"Don't hesitate!  **Kill her**!" King Garon roars.

A Lord Casander sighs, "May you find peace in the afterlife, Princess Corrin." She doesn't need to look to know that the sword is being brought down. Time feels like it slows down, memories comes and goes. Promises, wants, needs, they're all going to amount to nothing.

Cling, snap. A heavy silence and another scent. "Leave… her… alone." Familiar, too. Lupus opens her eyes to see the woman that looks like her.

Sister.

The only weapon she has is her maw, though the teeth on it are sickly green, and her scales lack the blue that Lupus has in her dragon form… they are tinted with green. And with that direct contact, she was expecting her sister's draconic side to fade… but it doesn't. The only thing that seems to happen is the green across her form grows into a brighter shade of green.

Lupus now notes that all of the dripping green from his sword is being… sucked into her sister's maw.

"Wait… you?!" A Lord Casander exclaims. "You are…?!"

"Kill them both!" Garon orders.

A metallic shing rings out, the silence in the crowd turns into a collective gasp and rapid whispering, but not because of the events being played out in this moment, no… something else happened. That golden sword that Lupus kept eyeing? Well, it isn't there anymore…

It's in her sister's open hand. She seems unbothered by this fact, but if anything, "Ipwipun, fsipdj." She whispers, and shortly after, her body sweats… poison, that is. Her maw opens and surrounds this strange golden blade, and a poisonfall of toxins spews out. [Taste your… own creation.] Her maw fades and she lowers her stance, holding that sword as if that's the only thing she's ever used.

And for whatever reason, A Lord Casander hesitates… until she actually lashes out, to which he quickly defends. "You said…"

"Family… defend." Her voice is quite a bit louder than before. "Understand?"

"You shouldn't have intervened… this will also result in your death. King's orders." How come A Lord Casander is hesitating with her sister… but not Lupus?

She shakes her head, "No… death. Save." She deflects a sword strike, [Envenom, disperse.] Some of the toxins that she's… sweating seems to rise off of her on their own accord. [Envenom, barrier.] And now the small balls of green are floating around her. Now, while it doesn't affect A Lord Casander's special sword, it sizzles straight through his armor. A second's surprise from that is all she needed, the toxin-coated golden sword slices into his armor, bites into his skin, [Envenom, change, extended… preservation.] The toxins coating the blade pulse an almost violent red color, before turning a paradoxically cool blue color… then going back to green. A Lord Casander gasps, breathes out… And falls. [Envenom… absorb.] She mutters with a pained tone as the green that was pulsing and pouring out of her seems to seep back into her body. [For… best.] Her voice also drops in volume.

The crowd remains silent, too taken aback by the apparent death of the Crown Prince by someone who looks like Lupus. " **Detain her**!" Garon immediately stands up, "I don't care if the Yato chose her!" His gaze rounds on Lupus, "And I will have you executed before night falls! By my own axe!"

[Not… dead.] Is all her sister really says as she lets the guards take her. [Preserved… alive, conscious.]

"No! Don't…" Lupus reaches out, but her Dragonstone remains dormant, whatever toxin she was inflicted with is still preventing any shifting. Because of that, Lupus is easily bound, then carried out. Then King Garon's words finally click.

She was going to die regardless… if it wasn't by A Lord Casander's sword, then it would have been execution… no, wait.

It  **is**  by execution. She gulps, and who knows what her sister will end up enduring.

* * *

Castle Krakenburg is in an uproar, and thanks to Lilith's enhanced senses, it didn't take much to figure out. Cimmefuppe apparently killed Crown Prince Xander in order to save Lupus. Cimmefuppe is to be taken to the most secure prison cell. Lupus is to be executed. Lilith scowls, she could now… she could probably save one of them. She just needs to think… "Zimipe." She hears her Draconic name get called out.

And of all the people… it had to be Nyx. "What?"

[I believe there is a conflict of interest…] She smoothly states.

[You know Draconic?] Not just knowing it, but speaking it fluently.

She narrows her eyes, [Save the small talk, dragon. There's a problem that needs to be fixed.]

[Why should I…]

[Trust me?] Nyx cuts her off, [And how do you plan to save either of them? You know well enough that your Draconic House can't help you here. Highly trained Wyrmslayer guards flank both of them, even an old and experienced dragon like yourself won't be able to get by.]

Lilith's blood runs cold, [How much do you know?]

[I can help, Yelena…] She completely ignores her question, [Both of them can live to see the next day.]

[But…?]

Nyx giggles, [I wouldn't worry about the conditions… because if you don't accept, they'll die.] Did… is she really attempting to force her hand? [Tick tock, the sun isn't going to stay up much longer, and any chance to save Lupus will be lost.]

[What's the plan?]

A smile, predatory and self-assured. [A few distractions, an advanced Warp spell or two… maybe some deaths. Shall we get started?]

Lilith glares… she's over three-thousand years old, yet she's being manipulated to work with this…  **evil**  woman. [You said it yourself, we don't have much time! Go!]

Nyx nods, [I do need to grab some reagents… I won't be long.]

* * *

The Hoshidan army has been making considerable progress. After the main road was cleared up, which allowed the bulk of the army to pass through, it was but a simple task to march directly to Krakenburg. However, only a fool would send everyone down the main road. There were other locations that needed to be seized first… outposts, food stores, armories. It would be amount to suicidal to just go straight to Krakenburg, regardless of how many and how strong the army is.

The casualties would be far too high.

In light of this, several strike squads were made, each holding Hoshido's best. With Nohr's morale plummeting due to the loss of three of their Royalty… and the fact that Prince Leo and Princess Elise  **chose**  to join Hoshido, the Nohrians that they fought were caught somewhere between hesitation accompanied with doubt of the cause they fight for… or lashing out with a blinded aggression. Regardless, both effects further crippled Nohr's forces. Victories came clean, deaths on both sides were low… there was even a high conversion rate for the doubtful Nohrians.

King Garon ruled with fear, and fear doesn't last. If you wish to forever hold relations… inspire them. Give them something worth the long run, and peace made the perfect promise. Of course, it helped with the likes of Princess Elise giving such positive speeches.

And the more that joined, it meant more tactical information on the upcoming layout. It's a compounding domino effect. The more battles that Hoshido fought, the more troops that would defect and join Hoshido, which lead to a greater force, more knowledge and secrets to slip by, which lead to more lives being spared. It's gotten to the point where it was safe enough to split the army several times over.

All of this came from having a secured passage through the mountains. The youngest brother of the brood's ears twitch as he hears Ryoma coming closer. "Brother."

"...yes?" He asks, unbothered by how 'hard' his name is to pronounce, nor bothered by being called brother.

"Raise your head high, we're making excellent progress!" He pats the half-dragon on the back. "Krakenburg is all but surrounded… we'll be within striking position in a matter of a week."

"Sister…" He holds himself, before getting up, "I'm going to talk to Leo." He mutters.

"Perhaps we could spend some time together? Tomorrow?" Qsoeqat simply shrugs in response.

It's killing him! Well, not literally, but he feels an intense tug across his body, a growing cold. He's all but constantly fighting a burning urge to just walk back to that…  **basement**. If this is what he's feeling, and he only lost part of his soul, he can almost imagine how much dread has been running through that dragonling. "Prince Leo?" He calls out as the scent picks up.

"Hm?" Oh, he's right there. "Ah yes… the youngest brother of Princess Corrin's brood, correct? You know, I never had the chance to properly meet you… or thank you… or apologize."

"Not now." He shakes his head. "You have the have those tomes with the slick scent… dark, bad."

"Dark Magic?" He asks, "True, I have one, but that is under strict emergencies, I don't…"

"What do you know of magic that deals with… souls?" He looks up, and 'it' must have happened again.

Because Leo visibly flinches. "I don't. There are some areas I will  **never**  touch."

"But you know about it." He presses, knowing that the distinct pitch black color is invading his eye color again… it always feels colder when it does, that urge grows stronger.

He sighs, "I have knowledge, but I don't know any of the spells, nor do I own any of the tomes." A pause, "This is a school of magic that is officially forbidden… even Iago doesn't touch this type of magic. The best case scenario of being caught using it is disownment." He takes a breath, then lowers his voice, "However, it also holds some of the most potent spells ever known. Stealing life, restoring youth, explosions that can consume an entire village… and those are the 'simple' ones."

"Taking and giving parts of souls?"

"It wouldn't be 'Soul Magic' if its origins weren't rooted in the  **incredibly**  inhumane usage of life." He scowls, but it's not directed at the half-dragon. "How long ago was… this?" He gestures at his eyes.

"...a week? Two? It was soon after we arrived in Nohr."

"Why did you wait so…?!"

"No drive. I felt nothing for it. I was alright… being empty. It didn't bother me. It's wrong, but I don't care to fix it. Some days it is less intense to where I want to do something, other days it's so strong where I want to go back to her and let her take the rest…" He clutches himself, "And cold… so cold."

"Her?"

"Hidden mansion, spells fueled by the remains of an old dragon. There's a basement, a young dragon, soulless, or… rather, she has a part of mine." He mutters. "I can feel her sometimes, or I think I do, but there's always a call, at least on the strong days... 'come back, come back'." He starts to break down, "'Let me have the rest, I promise I'll return it. I want to taste freedom again.'"

"While I can't guarantee it… killing the person who…"

"She can't die. None of them can." He cuts him off, "I snapped the neck of one, Keaton ripped two of them apart, Kaden ripped bones off of another… they all came back. Bones came back together, skin knitted itself together… it's like they just suffered a few cuts and bruises."

"Nothing is truly immortal, there has to be a source of their… undeath." He counters. "Regardless, I wish you brought this up asap, we could've helped."

"No."

"What?"

"Helping me won't help her."

"Are you out of your mind?! She could've turned you into a shell! A being…"

" **She's a pure-blooded dragon!** " He finally finds the will to yell. "I already have dozens upon dozens of Half-Dragon/Wolfskin hybrids from all of my breeding in those packs! But her? She's  **pure-blooded**  Dragon! I promised her I'd get her soul back… and. I. Will! There are few enough dragons as is!"

Leo blinks his eyes, then clears his throat, "Very well. Do you know where her soul is being contained? By an object? A person?"

"Dark Mage, female." He quickly answers, deflated. "Prince Leo?"

"Yes?"

"...If I ever lose myself and walk out… don't stop me."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"As I understand it… you are royalty."

"I don't care." He dangerously states.

"Oh no. I think you do care…" Leo crosses his arms, "If you didn't, then why did you stay for so long? What is pushing you on? What are you fighting for? If you truly didn't care, then why didn't you just… leave the following night? Return to this basement and let her finish what she started?"

It took almost a minute for him to respond, but when he did… "Missing sister." A kindling, an urge to move forward. "I need to make sure she's okay."

Leo smiles, "Hold onto that feeling. We'll be within striking formation on Castle Krakenburg within a week's time. It will be surrounded, and we will win… you  **will**  see Princess Corrin again."

A pause, and he nods, "Thank you, Leo. I'm glad… I smelled Dark Magic on you." Another pause, "What is the tome, anyway?"

A grim expression crosses his face, "Nosferatu. A spell that siphons life."

"Like…?"

"No, but… Nosferatu is derived from a similar concept… it's the 'morally good' version of that Soul spell. Nosferatu can only be used to restore stamina and heal wounds. Nosferatu doesn't consume all of the target."

Qsoeqat nods again as he walks away, "Save missing sister. Find missing sister. Need to make sure… she's okay."

* * *

She blinks her eyes, then opens them. So cold, so cold… colder than normal. She rubs her body for warmth. Wait, there is warmth, but it's… inside? Like there's a fire in her. Why? She looks through the hole in the roof, the one made by that Wolfsegger, then over towards the exit. Nope, no drive. She lies her head back down.

Only to bring it back up. No, there is a drive, but it's so small that she almost didn't notice. Well that, and it's been so long that she almost forgot what it felt like. What did she take from him? She shakes her head… the urge to leave isn't strong enough. If anything, this small urge is making it worse! It's taunting her! She growls as she throws herself against the wall. She doesn't want it now!

But, none of the others down here can take it… no! She can't get rid of it! He made a promise, and what if he returns with hers… but she doesn't have his? She clutches her head, at least make the urge go away!

Click, unlock, but her friends stay still… her blood runs colder than before. If her friends aren't wanting to attack, then that means… that means… no, no no no no!

"Another facility… infiltrated." The Dark Mage. "Damn it." She moves over to the tables with all of her casting supplies. "At least most of this is intact." She starts heaving them into a large bag. "When I find out who did this…" She turns on her heel.

Then locks eyes with her.

"You…" She approaches the dragonling, "You're different, aren't you?" A predatory smirk. "Ah, it seems you've had a few moments to the intruder, haven't you?" Her small hand snatches the dragon by the neck, magic coursing out, locking her in place. "Uciz. Iyqeop."

The dragon's will gives in far too easily, as this Dark Mage made sure she remains susceptible to her magic. [Half-dragon came in… lured by Wild Magic. Wyvern held him down, I tried to take it all in.]

[But?]

[He had friends come in… Wolfsegger, Nine-tails. They took down friends, but he had me 'spared'.] Which, of course, would have meant nothing… because this Dark Mage  **made sure**  she would live. [And he… he…]

[Speak!]

[Promised me… he'd take… get my soul back.] Tears.

[So, you hold his as insurance? Fool. Simply having that piece… you've given me the tool to track him down. I'd rip it from you now, but that takes time and there are things that require my immediate attention.] The Dark Mage finally drops her. Cold, empty… but not completely empty. The drive that the part of his soul provides is still there. "Ugh… this took too long…" Magic courses through the Dark Mage, "Rune… warp!" Gone, almost like she was never there to begin with.

Not she cares now. She crawls over to her close wyvern friend and into his rib-cage… her last safe place. She curls up and falls asleep. After all, the only thing sleeping is good for is passing time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, let's see here… first up is the cute but deadly Bella. *nods* Some time spent with Xander's retainers, Charlotte being a douche, Benny being a guardian and… hm? Oh, Garon is pissed off. Seems like a death sentence for Lupus, right? Well…
> 
> Onto Lupus and... oh my. Xander entered an arena with a poison-dipped Siegfried and… hold on. Wait a minute! How come this dose of Magebane toxin both reverse and completely lock Lupus out of shifting? Hm… Anyway, so the duel starts and. Oh look, Bella's back, but this time in her true human appearance and… erm. Well, if you hoping for more… I'm afraid that's as much of her dragon form she can push out. Her maw, some scales and armor, but that's it. Though, now we get to see her potential… a toxin drenched dragon, complete with her own set of unique spells akin to… the Foxfire spells, actually.
> 
> Oh yeah, I suppose Xander is in a state of comatose. *shrug*
> 
> Oh hey! Lilith! Oh, that's… not good. What kind of hand is Nyx playing here? I suppose… time will tell.
> 
> Another huge chunk to Qsoeqat, though it starts with some incredibly great news… Krakenburg won't be standing for long. Now then, uh-huh… more 'soul-talk' with him. But hey, at least Leo provided him with decent… comfort. Oh, this also brought in the branch of forbidden magic… Soul Magic.
> 
> Last up is… the mostly soulless dragonling? *nods* Face it, she is switching over to the good side, and… this might be one of the few times I'm actually explicitly spilling out a villain's plot move. One female Dark Mage, hm...


	69. The Few or the Many?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… I was going to take advantage of this chapter number and made it a steamy one, but something came up. Er, no, that's wrong… something is coming up soon, and I decided to hold off on that. Instead, we're getting some more heavy development.
> 
> Also, the war is coming to its end-game soon, only a few key battles are left… so the plan is that after the war ends, I'll tie off the rest of those plot threads, and thus 'Corrin, of the Wolfskin' be completed! So… a dozen chapters or so?
> 
> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako.
> 
> Silky refers to Lupus = Lu-pu.
> 
> Qsoeqat = Quacker. Belladonna = Bella or Cimmefuppe = Kim.

 

Silas has never seen Castle Krakenburg move at such a hurried pace. Everything seemed to be lining up  **against**  them… Princess Camilla is imprisoned, her retainers dead. Princess Elise defected to the Hoshidans with her retainers. Prince Leo and his retainers also took up arms for Hoshido. Peri is dead, Laslow has been reported to be seen in the Hoshidan army… though those particular claims are hazy at best. Crown Prince is thankfully  **not**  dead, but in a state of comatose.

This isn't even beginning the mention of just how much of the Nohrian army has turned against their own country because of how seamlessly Hoshido is conquering Nohr. Which leads to this point in time… Hoshido's army, which includes multiple platoons of Nohrian defects, are forming a massive ring around Windmire…

The terrifying part is that they  **have**  enough soldiers to pull such a feat off!

Regardless, troops are being sent to and fro, one spot to the next. Gunter is leading the most elite of the bunch, while Silas is tasked with more preparations for the upcoming battle. He may not be a Diviner… but Silas can almost guarantee who will win the upcoming battle. Far outnumbered. Hoshido has all of their best warriors, while Nohr has lost so many. Still, he has a duty to…

Silas abruptly stops, doubt crossing his mind. He became a knight so he could better protect the people of Nohr. He always tries to lend as much help as he could, no matter how minor. Maybe it's for the betterment of Nohr if Hoshido can dethrone King Garon? Silas is not ignorant by any means… he has first-hand knowledge of how terrible a state Nohr is in.

But, he can't just leave, either… there are still a great many innocents located within Windmire and Krakenburg.

Where does his true loyalties lie? He's Nohrian by birth, Nohr is his home, Nohr is what he fights for. So it would be logical to take up arms against an invading nation… Hoshido.

He's Nohrian by birth, but he knows how much his homeland is suffering under King Garon's rule. All of those homeless people, the ones that scavenge around like bandits. It would also be logical for an outside force to be the 'push' required to make Nohr better in the end. Silas takes a deep breath, a moment to think, then nods…

There's work he needs to get done.

* * *

Lupus groans as her eyes open, light… it hurts. Her body is incredibly sore and… wait. Lupus forces herself to deal with the light. If she's sore, then… she's not dead. She could have sworn she was just chained up. But… then there were lights? Loud noises? What happened? "Oh good… you're awake." Lilith is there to greet her. "How are your wounds?"

"I'm sore, nothing really painful…" She blinks her eyes, then focuses on her partial shifting. A sigh of relief follows when her lance forms. "What happened?"

Lilith cringes, but keeps a positive look, "We're out of the Castle, Lupus. Safe."

"Never safe." Lupus responds without thinking. Some things won't ever drop. "Wait… how?!"

Hesitation, "I casted some pretty potent spells… I'm drained, tired." Another scent, a yawn…

Lupus looks just a few feet from her. "S-sister?" It's that woman who looks like her. The one that saved her…

"Cimmefuppe." Lilith says, "That's her name."

"Ci...mmef...uppe?" A slow echo, then she shakes her head. "Kim."

"It's Belladonna in the human tongue."

"Bella, then." Lupus smiles as she gets up and moves over. "Bella… my sister." She reaches out and touches her face… to her, it doesn't seem even the slightest bit eerie that she looks almost just like her. The only real defining physical difference is that Lupus is, uh… more developed in her chest and rear. Her eyes dart over to that strange sword that is a few inches away from her hand. A sword that moved  **to**  her… "She stood up to A Lord Casander, but why did he hesitate?" A pause, "Lilith? Where are we, exactly? Can I go home from here?" Another pause, but not because Lupus was thinking of another question. That topic struck her again out of nowhere.

Where  **is**  home? She thought she found her answer, but with all of the recent events? Lupus is half-human… an unconditional loving human family, Hoshidan royalty. Red, Hina, Tako, and Saku. Even Queen Mikoto, who isn't her real mother, treated her like she was really her daughter. And… and Seta.

Lupus was raised by Wolfskin… tough, sometimes aggressive, but undeniably caring. The likes of Vella, Keaty, and Dadaan are part of this one. It is because of Lupus's love and need to protect the pack is why she left to get stronger in the first place… but now there are only four remaining.

Lupus is half-dragon… a family she never got to meet. Bella is the only one so far, and simply  **seeing**  her is enough to confirm the relations. But, if Lupus is the only one who was raised by their human father… then why was she raised away? There wasn't anything wrong with her, right? Was she too human at birth?

It was bad enough trying to pick between the two, but now she's torn from three. "Lupus? Did you hear me?" Lilith is suddenly beside her.

"...huh?"

"I said that once Cimmefuppe wakes up and is able to, we can start moving out towards the Hoshidan army."

"Right, sure… wait, what?" Lupus exclaims, "Hoshidan… army?"

"Oh, that's right… you were completely left in the dark about the war going on." Lilith frowns. "The Hoshidans have pushed into Nohr and has taken control of almost every major facility, it won't be long before they can properly assault Krakenburg." She flinches, pained by something.

"Lilith? What's wrong?"

"I… suffered a few hits getting us out." Lupus narrows her eyes.

"Liar." She declares. "Lilith, you were always nice to me and wanting to help… let me help you. What's wrong?" Lilith remains silent, deep in thought. "Lilith? Did you hear me?"

"...I'm sorry, what?" She abruptly gets up. "Actually, let me go and get us some meat. I won't be long!" She taps into her Dragonstone and…

Oh wow. Lupus tilts her head, "That's… your dragon form?" It's so  **small**!

Lilith is basically no larger than a half-grown bear. Blue scales, a few lines of scales are red, her eyes retain the piercing yellow color. "This is how the dragons who are skilled in magic generally look like." She says while floating backwards, "Again, I won't be long!" And now she flies off. What is with her?!

Then a groan. Lupus's eyes snap over to Bella, who is now going through the same process as when Lupus woke up. "Sister? Sister!?"

"Sis...ter." Bella quietly responds, almost so silent that Lupus missed it. "Sister!" Within that moment, she forced herself up to hug Lupus. "You're… okay. Alive. Safe." She starts giving her an almost 'Vella'-like hug, that is to say there is barely any room to move and her face is buried in Lupus. "Ztisepzy, jux esi zua?" Her volume rises a bit when she asked that.

Maybe it's easier for her to speak Draconic? Lupus then blinks her eyes, "Caseiv… casju ot Ztisepzy?" Bella pulls back, and tilts her head, confused. Oh wait, that's right… after 'W' is  **that**  letter, and Lupus can't pronounce that latter. "Cas… cs… cas."

"'X'?" Bella asks to which Lupus nods, [So, you meant… wait.] Bella sniffs her, [Sister,  **you**  are Yseranyx.]

[Is that… my birth name?] She asks.

A nod, [That's what mother told us.]

[Mother?] Lupus echoes. [My human… our human family told me my name is Corrin, but I prefer Lupus, a nickname given to me by my Wolfskin 'sister', Vella.]

And now Bella seems really confused, [How can… Wolfskin be sister?]

Oh, now this… [Sister? This will take a  **long**  time to explain. So, I…]

[It can wait.] Bella cuts her off, [Must find… rest of brood. We all looked…]

[I have more?] And now Lupus cuts her off.

[Big sister and three brothers.] She smiles, [You'll… like big sister. She…] Her voice cracks, [She became our mother figure after… mother. After mother…]

[You don't need to finish.] Lupus can read the implications well enough. [Sister? Would you mind telling me about our family?]

[Brood.] She corrects, then nods, [But yes… I would love to.]

* * *

Due to the absolutely overwhelming size of Hoshido's army, it would be detrimental to try and squeeze everyone into a single entrance. As such, the army has broken off several times, each going to a different entryway. Each of these segments is being lead by a highly experienced soldier. Ryoma is obviously leading the 'main' force, but to be honest… with the size of this army, there really isn't a 'main' force. Takumi also has one to his own, as does Hinoka, and then Reina. Sakura's group is actually being lead by Prince Leo. Keaton, Velouria, and Dadaan are in a trio of their own, as are Kaden, Selkie, and Qsoeqat.

So, with the benefit of quantity  **and**  quality, it would be logical to assume this battle is going to end up being one-sided, except… well, Nohr still has a few tricks left up its proverbial sleeve…

"Princess Sakura?" Prince Leo asks as he looks over his war map for the hundredth time. Due to his inside knowledge, Leo's section is taking a more secluded passage… though that means the section he is leading is smaller than the rest.

"Y-yes?" Her nervousness is still present, but the way she smiles is breath-taking. Out of all the probabilities… the last place Leo would expect finding love was with Hoshidan Royalty. And as if to kick the chances even lower, this love blossomed from her being a prisoner and he assigned her 'interrogator'.

He is forever thankful he dropped the 'tough guy' act for information, because Lady Sakura does not deserve such treatment. "I think I've done all I can for tactics. Would you… care to um…" He flushes and uncharacteristically stumbles over his words, "Hone our… Scroll skills?"

Lady Sakura, despite having initially trained as a Priestess, has proven to be more than capable of being an Onmyoji. She's picked up on Scrolls as if she has trained in them her whole life, which means, ironically enough, Leo is the one learning in these sessions. Because, well… he's found that the differences between Tome and Scroll are jarring enough to make his aim terrible and his magical output weak. Gods, if only the Brynhildr could comprehend that what he is doing is for the best of Nohr! "I'd love to!"

"And… how is Hana faring?" Amazingly enough, the Samurai has made an incredible recovery. Without those metal shards of her fractured chest armor inside of her, Hana has been steadily getting back to where she was.

"She's faring well… um, she believes she's still too far off from where she was, but… we don't have any highly experienced katana users to give her that proper refinement." Lady Sakura slowly smoothes out the stuttering as the conversation continues.

"Subaki?"

A more grim look passes, "He's…" Leo recalls that his Pegasus had been slaughtered after his capture. "Hurt, really bad… and I can't fix emotional scarring with Festals." A pause, "He's actually even given up his naginata altogether and is training with Hana in katanas."

A strange choice, "Surely it would be for the best if he becomes a Spear Fighter? Or requisition another Pegasus?" Wyvern Riders and Wyvern Lords, if the rider lives long enough, might cycle through several wyverns… Malig Knights, on the other hand, simply resurrect their wyverns. Leo can still clearly see Camilla's undead wyvern, with its decaying scales and the piercing red eyes.

"No, no no no!" Lady Sakura quickly denies, "The bond between a Pegasus and its rider is unique… Subaki would be highly offended at that suggestion!"

"Oh… my apologies, I hadn't meant to cause grief." Well, that's a detail he didn't know about. So, if the Pegasus dies, then the rider won't ever get another one? "How about him being a Spear Fighter, then?" Hoshido's Spear Fighters are as a potent force as Samurais, so surely…

"He told me that he can't… he was training for that one day, but the naginata brought too much pain. He decided that he couldn't… so he picked up the katana instead."

Leo nods, "I can understand that… Subaki has always used a naginata with his Pegasus, so it would be logical to assume that the naginata could be a potential PTSD trigger. Fair enough… um, pardon my intrusion on your retainers' lives."

She smiles, "It's alright… that just shows you really care for us." A pause, "So, what about your retainers?"

"Odin and Niles are… certainly unique, but they are incredibly skilled in their weapons."

"...is that it? What about their personalities, or…"

Leo chuckles, "You can extract just about all of Niles's personality from his quip from our last encounter." Sakura's face flushes at the thought of Niles using such bold language at them, "Odin… I honestly don't even know where to begin with him. Surely you've heard his 'special moves' by now?"

"Do you mean those names he shouts while training?"

"Yes… those."

"Well, I think that is an endearing trait. It means he takes great pride in his skills." She smiles.

Then, of all things to ruin their conversation, the ground rumbles. The soldiers outside are shouting… a Nohrian assault, here?! "Who dares…" Leo quickly walks out, then whistles for his… newer horse.

"Prince Leo!" One of the lighter geared Nohrians, a scout, rushes over. "One of the patrols were recently taken out…"

"Another patrol?" He tilts his head.

"No, no… worse! The others told me to run once  **it**  showed up!"

"It? Speak plainly. What happened?" He orders.

"I couldn't believe my eyes, I never thought…"

" **Get to the point**!"

"A dragon, but…" Another hesitation.

Which is grating on his nerves, " **but what**?!"

"It was nothing but a skeleton… flying! A flying, dead, skeletal dragon!"

He scoffs, "Illusion magic, it's a fear tactic." He gestures around the camp, "Is this what is sending everyone into a panic? An exaggerated report that  **you**  brought?"

"Milord, please…"

"Enough. Go to the clinic and get something to calm your mind. I am not having such ridiculous 'reports' ruining the order in this camp! That is an order…  **move**!" The clearly deranged scout obeys.

"Prince Leo?" Lady Sakura asks, a Scroll on hand.

"Lady Sakura? Can you help me regain order in this camp? That scout was spreading the most absurd report I have ever heard…" He scoffs, "A flying, undead, skeletal dragon."

* * *

Princess Hinoka wasn't exactly thrilled to know that all the beastfolk were in a group of their own… or more accurately, to know that Keaty isn't with her. She can understand why, but that doesn't mean she has to like it. Keaty, despite the trouble, is truly trying to learn the 'human things' to be with her. Hinoka rubs the ruby that he gifted her… the Beaststone of the previous alpha, the one that fathered Lupus. Events can truly be strange.

Like Reina, Hinoka's portion of the army has a larger ratio of flying units. Falcon Knights and Kinshi Knights are the stars in hers. It's only fair, since Hinoka is the leader of the Sky Knights. Right now, though… she is training, but it's the person she's training with that is turning her world upside-down.

Azama.

Friggin' Azama is learning to use the naginata. She still can't decide if this is a legitimate interest, or if he's just trying to get more time to pop off with one of his witty comments.

…

However, she can't deny he has innate potential.

"Contemplating the nature of existence again, are we?" He asks during a break.

"Azama? Why did you choose the naginata?"

"To be more like you! Excluding the red hair, eyes, and… tendency to not think much of your own life." He smiles.

"Alright, if I'd known this, I would've requisitioned a Bolt Naginata for you."

"Truly? I'm  **shocked**  to hear that." Oh, great…

She walked right into that one. "You know what? Go spar with one of the other Sky Knights, I'm going to…"

"Hina~." Setsuna, quite rudely, walks up and talks. "You won't believe what just happened."

"Did you avoid a trap?" Azama asks.

"Azama, seriously… Setsuna? What is it?"

"I heard a roar…"

"Are you sure that wasn't your stomach?"

"Azama! Go on! Leave!" Hinoka rounds on him. "Setsuna… a roar? Like a bear?"

She shakes her head, "No, the strange thing was… there wasn't anything within sight, so it was a really loud roar."

"Are you sure you might not have been imagining…?"

A frown and her mood plummets, "No, Lupus has a distinct… 'hiccup' in her roars. That quirk wasn't in this roar. It sounded… angry, vengeful."

Oh, right… Setsuna can figure out emotions in roaring and howling. "Alright, I'll keep some extra scouts on the look-out. Thank you for informing me."

A pause, then a smile, "Thank you, Hina…" She slowly walks off, still bothered.

...huh, a really loud roar? What could be the cause?

* * *

"Wind!" Elise squeaks as she casts a quick Wind spell in the training area, then cheers, "Booyah! Take that, silly training target!" She hops in place, "I knew this wouldn't be that tough!" She smiles as she raises the Wind Tome up high, "Look out world, this girl is armed and dangerous. With the power of Wind by…" Uh-oh. Without the tome being directed at a specific spot, the following gust of wind scattered out in several directions. One of the gusts knocked over a barrel of arrows, one blew a  **hole**  in a nearby tent, and the last one cut straight through her hair ribbons, effectively removing her super-awesome pigtails. "Uh, whoops…" She looks around, then quickly puts the Wind Tome away, "...break time!" A sheepish smile as she hurries out of the training area and to the Mess Hall.

"My liege?" Effie happens to see her, "I… um. What happened to your pigtails?"

Thinking super-quick on the spot, she smiles and asks, "I was going to try out a new hairstyle… whaddya think?" She twirls in place, causing her hair to go almost everywhere.

Effie blinks, "I think it would be for the best if you kept your hair in order…" She honestly replies.

"Oh, well I can fix it later… so, what's up?"

"There is a… disagreement in the training grounds." She plainly states, "It's about one of Lord Takumi's retainers… Oboro."

"How can I help?"

"Oboro's skill in naginatas is well known, so since lances are incredibly close to them… I asked if we could spar. She not only said 'no', but also proceeded to critique my choice of colors on my armor… then my hair, and that devolved to her ranting about Nohrians."

"Uh, so… would you like for me to talk to her?"

She nods, "That's what I was going to ask, but then I noticed she would probably just point out your hair right now."

A pause, but then Elise snaps her fingers, "That's it! I got it…" She starts hopping over to the training area, the 'physical' section this time.

"...If you say so, my liege…" Effie shrugs, then walks over to the Mess Hall.

Elise hums a tune as she skips over, quickly noticing Lord Takumi's retainer, "Oboro~!" She waves. "I got a  **huge**  problem!"

One glare and a terrifying scowl almost sent Elise the other way, but not today! Elise is extra-determined. "I'm busy… Lady Elise."

"But… look at me!" Elise gasps for extra dramatic effect, "I was training in tomes and I kinda-sorta messed up my hair… I heard you are super-awesomely skilled with doing hair and stuff, so… would you mind getting my hair back into the cute pigtails?"

Oboro looks at her, well her hair… a glint passes by her eyes, "How often do you wear your hair in pigtails?" She instead asks.

"It's like… my favorite hairstyle!"

"...Would you are to try a different one?"

Elise's eyes turn wide, "Whatcha got in mind?"

"Your hair is really long, so it might not work perfectly…" Oboro seems to be imagining the hairstyle, "Actually, yep. I can make it work."

"And that is…?"

"But it's gonna take a while, so… let's get started!" She walks off…

"Hey~! What about… oh, fine." Welp… looks like it's going to be a surprise!

* * *

Qsoeqat bolts up from a nap, which causes both Silky and Kaden to startle. "What's the matter, Quacker?" Silky asks.

"...Dragon." He plainly supplies, "Something's not right, though."

"Whaddya mean 'not right'?" Kaden asks, "Is it coming this way?"

"You… said you felt the pulses coming from…?" He leaves the word unspoken.

Thankfully, Kaden picks up on it, "Yeah, Nine-tails are pretty sensitive to magical disturbances."

The youngest brother of the brood points North-East, away from the castle, "Focus over there… I felt a potent pulse of Wild Magic, but…" His finger trails southward, "There's another one there… but that one doesn't feel right."

Kaden shifts to his Nine-tails form and holds for a moment in each direction. "Um… okay, yep. Whew, that almost feels as strong as…" He leaves the word unspoken. "And now…" another pause, "Ugh, I know that particular 'feel' of magic… that's Dark Magic, it's slimy."

"Hey~! What are you two talking about?" Silky asks. "More dragon-friends like Quacker?"

"Kaden?" He completely ignores her, "Whose base camp is… there?" Going from the 'Dark Magic-filled Wild Magic' source, he goes just a bit further south.

"Uh… woman with scar, rides that bird thing." Kaden tilts his head, "I can't remember her name… do you think?"

"She's going to be in trouble."

"Let me, then." Kaden rises, "I can make the distance easily… even though we're supposed to stay in our positions." He nods, more to himself.

"I wanna go to!" Silky exclaims.

"No. Stay with him." Without waiting for a response, Kaden sprints off.

Oh, please come back safely…

* * *

Reina smiles as she floors yet another Wyvern Rider. "You need to focus… you might have the innate advantage in axes, but at the end of the day, an inexperienced axe or club wielder can still easily lose to lances or naginatas. Understand?"

The man offers a beaten bow, "Yes, ma'am."

"Good, now… I want each and every one of you to rest up, and we'll continue afterwards." Reina breathes a sigh… nothing was more surprising than all of those Nohrians defecting to Hoshido, yet it's surprising how concrete their loyalty is. King Garon must truly be one of the most despised rulers if his people are willing to turn so quickly. She looks up to the sky, "Perhaps a short flight is in order?"

She goes to whistle for her Kinshi… only for him to arrive before then. She immediately takes note of the ruffled feathers, "Did one of the wyverns try to snap at you?" She coos at her mount. See, while the Wyvern  **Riders**  are transitioning smoothly, the mounts themselves are having a harder time coping with the Pegasi and Kinshi… which is why Princess Hinoka has most of the Sky Knights with her. Her Kinshi responds with a whine, then lowers his body. Oh, that's not good. "Alright, let's go, then." She mounts up, swoops by her supplies, quickly gathers them, and readies herself for whatever is unnerving  **her**  Kinshi.

And considering Reina is one of the most battle-hardened warriors in Hoshido, and that her Kinshi had been part of those battles… if something is unnerving  **her**  mount, then it's something serious.

Unfortunately, she wasn't in the air for even a few minutes before she saw what spooked her mount. She literally had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things… a giant flying  **skeleton** … dragon. How?! "Back up, dear…" She rears her Kinshi and swoops back down to her base camp. " **To arms**!" She calls out, "Enemy unit coming from the North! Double-time!" Within a few minutes, Wyvern Riders, Lords, Falcon and Kinshi Knights are all up and airborne… even the poor set of Wyvern Riders she just put on break. The few Mages and Archers she has on standby also line up.

The archers are probably going to be useless.

The… impossible monster quickly closes in, sending a wave of panic from the sheer sight of it. She honestly can't blame them, what are the odds of seeing such an abomination? "Hold your position! Wyvern Riders! Wyvern Lords! Your axes are going to be the main sources of damage! Falcon and Kinshi Knights… naginatas are to be used on the joints connecting the bones!" She turns her voice towards the ground, "Mages, try and chill whatever dragon bones you can reach! Archers… spread out, and hold your fire."

The skeletal dragon opens its maw, and while Reina could literally see through it, the undead creature still managed to form a sphere in its mouth. "Move,  **move**!" The army splits off in set numbers, just as a massive ball of fire exits the creature's mouth. Reina could feel the magic coursing from it. "Avoid the tail and teeth! Stay out of the range from the claws!" She honestly was unsure about attacking it from the 'inside'... who knows if the interior is actually lined with magic?

Reina swoops in and strikes at one of the leg joints, trying to separate bone from bone with her naginata. She's met with incredible magical resistance. Gods, how many Mages did it take to construct this thing?! Knowing Garon, he might've had them use their entire life force to make it. A dozen, two dozen lives? She scowls as she repositions and goes for another…

Her Kinshi moves away on his own accord, because if he didn't follow his instincts, then he would've been impaled by a magical Goetia-ish spear that formed from one of the bones.

And from the screams, it sounds like others have fell to that same type of spell. "Be on guard! It can form magical spears from its bones!" She shouts. Reina quickly looks it over, how to approach this? The joints feels like the only logical place, if the bones can be severed, then it can't stay together. She simply doesn't know any other option… her own mage fighters aren't that potent to counter a dozen's worth of lives. She also lacks any weapons like a Bolt Naginata. She bites her lip. Despite it all, the rush of such a powerful enemy is sending a surge of adrenaline and awe…

The skeletal dragon seems to ignore all the flying units as it aims its maw towards the ground… to the camp. Another ball starts to form. "Damn it…" The archers are going to be fried, and she doubts that a Mage's resistance can do much against such a powerful sphere. There's no way everyone can evacuate. Even if she… gods, sacrificed one of the Pegasus Knights, would that even assure enough time?

Then the ball fades as the dragon lets out a pained roar… the back left's clawed feet falls off, thanks to a skilled sliced from one of the Wyvern Lords. "Archers! Mages! Leave! Head towards Lord Leo's and Lady Sakura's base camp!  **Go**!" She orders. "It's just us! We'll return this thing to its grave!  **Attack**!"

* * *

Kaden is heavily panting for breath as he sprints across the last stretch to that scarred woman's camp… and the fear was confirmed. A giant  **skeletal**  dragon is attacking her portion of the army! He notes that the dragon is missing one of its feet and a portion of its tail. Kaden growls as he rushes some more… if it's made from magic, then Kaden can do something about it. He gulps mid-sprint, no… he has to do it. If her unit falls, then this thing will just attack another, and another until it is stopped…  **if**  it's stopped. There's just one huge problem… Kaden is down here.

That dragon is way up there.

Actually no, there's two. The second is challenging motivations… when Kaden looks up, he sees a large group of  **humans**  dealing with a threat that's beyond all of them. If this were almost any other situation, he'd probably just walk away. Kaden is a  **Nine-tails** , a form he achieved on his own! He doesn't need the help of a Beastrune to get into that form… unlike Selkie. There are plenty of humans, so why would he risk his life for them? His kind are fewer, more hunted.

Besides, if he dies… then he can't be with Kagero.

…

But, he is also a part of an army, a Hoshidan army… and this is part of that army. If he doesn't do what he can to stop it, then many will fall, maybe it'll even move on to Ryoma's camp, where Kagero is. Kaden grits his teeth. There it is, the question that he normally would have no issue answering…

The lives of a few, or the lives of the many? "Selkie, Keaton, Lupus… Kagero." He mutters to himself, "If I don't make it back, then I'm sorry. Selkie… find someone strong. Keaton, I hope you'll continue to forge relations between our kinds. Lupus… heh, don't stop being so peaceful. Kagero… I love you."

He growls, what is her name? Oh, forget it, "Hey…  **hey**!" He shouts from the ground. Though it seems the sound of orders and battle is keeping his voice from being heard. Instead, he pushes one more sprint, up into the camp, and on one of the few structures that can support some extra weight.

He howls.

Now, while it does grab her attention, the skeletal dragon also takes note of this new attacker. " **Get me up there**!" He yells as loudly as his parched mouth can. The dragon opens its maw and a massive ball of fire forms. Not good…

Kaden sprints off of the roof, right as the ball leaves. It impacts the area he was just at with so much force, so much  **power** , that the building is incinerated, the surrounding buildings are blown away, and it sets a large section of the camp on fire. It's only due to his almost unfathomable speed that he escapes the blast radius. "You got something for this thing?" The scarred woman swoops behind him. "I've had to send several Wyvern Riders out because their axes shattered. We need magic."

"I got magic." While still in his Nine-tails form, he jumps onto the Kinshi, then wraps a number of his tails in non-intrusive spots. "Get me up there, I can take it down."

"Completely?"

"...When I'm up there, you'll need to call a retreat." He seriously states.

"Kaden?" Back up into the air, Reina's voice is concerned.

"Trust me." He says, "The closer I can get to the center of that body, the better."

"So… inside its ribcage?" She asks.

"That looks like the center to me…"

"Kaden, this thing can form magical spikes from its bones… you'll be skewered if you try to stand anywhere on it." She informs him.

"...what about inside it?"

"You'd have to enter through its mouth, there are magical barriers covering the gaps in between the bones."

Oh, he doesn't like the sound of that. Still, he steadies his nerves, "Alright… take me towards its mouth."

"Understood…" She doesn't hesitate, seeming to be confident in his, admittedly, crazy plan. She guides her bird-thing up and towards the monster. "Let me know when you can make the jump."

"Without a running start? You'll need to get a lot closer." She simply nods. Across the air, Kaden gets to see the 'spike' she warned him about… a Pegasus Knight who lingered a bit too long gets impaled by a dark purple lance-thing, long enough to go through mount and rider. He hopes those don't exist on the inside. He doesn't have enough time to dodge and attack. "Alright, I'm ready. Uh… your bird might be thrown off balance."

"Don't worry about me, I'm secure. Besides…" She pats the bird, "He survived a few Wind spells, he knows how to keep his balance in sudden sharp moments." Kaden nods, one, two… three… he takes one more breath, and leaps from the bird, after getting his tails 'unhooked'. The dragon seems to eagerly opens its mouth, which does nothing for his gut feeling.

Kaden slides in on what seems like an invisible floor… and once the dragon closes its mouth, he feels the lack of fresh air. "Focus, focus." A breath, "Foxfire, transfer, one." Two of his Foxfire orbs start to 'give' their magic over to one, which causes it to burn an incredibly bright blue. Kaden then yelps as the dragon quickly rises up to force him down.

The next sensation to hit Kaden is darkness… the 'ribcage' of this thing is preventing light from shining. At least… the spikes don't seem to be... it clicks. The dragon doesn't need spikes in here. Whatever magic is fueling this thing is potent enough to simulate a stomach. Acid starts bubbling up on one end. Breathe, steady, focus. Two of his Foxfire orbs are completely dimmed, leaving one burning so bright that he can't even look at it.

Despite his determination and the lethal situation literally rising up in front of him, he hesitates… once this happens that'll be it. He'll be down to two Foxfire orbs. It's a loss he'll never recover from. He'll permanently be weaker… he shakes his head as the acid rises up far too quickly for any sort of comfort. So, he takes one more breath, hopefully that woman has gotten them far enough away. "Foxfire…" He closes his eyes, then hisses as acid starts to quickly eat away at one of his paws. "Detonate."

* * *

Lilith grits her draconic teeth as she lands for a rest. She doesn't need to be there to know. Despite the distance, she can literally see the explosion from here, perhaps due to enhanced sight. It is a tragic type of beautiful. A brilliant bright blue sun. The skeletal dragon that she was forced to contribute to the reanimation has been destroyed… the magical bindings that has kept the bones intact are shattered. "I'm sorry, Lupus…" She mutters.

Given the magic from the explosion and its color, a Nine-tails is the source of it. She knows 'what' it is… Foxfire: Detonation. So, assuming it lives through it, then that Nine-tails will be forever stuck with two Foxfire orbs. Looking at how high the explosion is, there's a chance that the Nine-tails will simply… die from the fall, in combination of a temporarily weakened body.

The Detonation spell doesn't have 'alignment', anything it hits is consumed with the distinct blue fire… and even the Nine-tails who uses it isn't immune. It won't be killed, but the Nine-tails will be left weakened, magically and physically… they usually are left unconscious. "I'm sorry, whoever gave up their Foxfire orb, maybe even your life…" She says. Lilith forms a reflective surface, as to further remind her the cost of working with Nyx… of saving Lupus and Cimmefuppe.

Lilith lets the Illusion magic drop, revealing her own wounds… she opens her mouth, four of her back teeth have been pulled out. She raises a clawed hand… two of her claws have been sliced off. She turns around and looks at her back, over a dozen scales have been expertly yanked out, along with a bit of flesh and meat from her back. She shivers…

The efficiency in which Nyx had done this meant Lilith is far from the first one she… harvested from. "I'm sorry, for any lives that were lost…" The reflection fades and she drops down. She can only hope that the deaths are few. She wonders if Lupus has gotten the 'hint' yet… that Lilith isn't going to return just yet. Out of the over three-thousand years that she's lived, out of all the things she's ever done… nothing is hurting from a choice as it is now.

Her draconic pride has been shattered… manipulated by some human with far too much experience, someone who knows to prevent Wild Magic from being used… who can shackle even Lilith. Someone who has a disturbing amount of knowledge with everything relating to dragons. Perhaps one of the most terrifying parts of this was that Nyx didn't need a Wyrmslayer to gather Lilith's parts. With a simple dagger, she sliced through her dragon form's scales, removed claws…

She regrets it, to the point where she almost wishes she denied the help, even if it meant the death of Lupus and her sister. Pride is one of the largest attributes of a dragon… how could it not? Tens of thousands of years for a single life, a body that is innately filled with magic, the ability to fly. Access to a unique set of magic. Enhanced senses. The list goes on and on.

But she was outdone by a human. She grits her teeth harder, to the point where it hurts. No, it wasn't worth! There are a total of  **six**  half-dragons! One of them, according to Cimmefuppe, has already fathered dozens of  **litters**  of offspring! Lilith growls. Nyx. Will. Pay.

…

But not in this mindset. Lilith is wise enough to know that if she tracks her down and fight now, she'll be too consumed by anger and revenge to think logically. No, she needs to calm down, take some time to relax… and then she give Nyx something she clearly wants… if she so sorely wants to have the might of a dragon?

She'll unleash the might of a dragon, she'll dispense so much magic into Nyx that she'll be  **erased**  from existence...

She takes a breath, reapplies the Illusion magic, then flies off once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun, dun, dun… Starting off with a somewhat predictable scene… Silas! It's obvious the Castle would be bustling by now. A comatose Crown Prince and an incoming army can do that. Especially if there are enough soldiers to almost complete surround the place to be attacked. Not much else to comment on.
> 
> Ah, Lupus and Bella… you both are alive and well! No longer imprisoned or on the executioner's block, but wait… was it worth it? Because Lilith sure was acting rather strange. *shrug* At least Lupus finally gets to talk to one of the brood… and once more presented with the question long thought answered. Who will she align with? Wolfskin, human… or dragon?
> 
> Alright, now we got a more clear representation on how the army is divided up. And man… that is a concrete show of faith that Prince Leo is in command of one of the forces. We also get a little bit of time with the Sakura/Leo pairing and… an urgent report! It seems there is a dead skeletal dragon flying around! Taking Leo's intellect into account, I think he was right being skeptical about such a claim. Sure, Malig Knights might bring their wyverns back from the dead, but those wyverns still have their bodies.
> 
> From Nohrian Royalty to Hoshidan Royalty, Hinoka is up next. And, oh… training with Azama? Well, at least he's finally been promoted. *shrug* Oh look, Setsuna! Who claims to have heard an 'angry' roar, um… alright then. Surely that isn't anything, right?
> 
> Princess Elise is in the same camp with Prince Takumi… well, this seems to be the light-hearted bit of the chapter. It's just Elise being the sunshine of Nohr… and maybe causing an accident with a random Wind spell. At least she's managed to bond a bit with Oboro with the topic of hair… though I wonder what style Oboro has in mind?
> 
> Aaaand, it's going downhill now. Quacker's PoV shows off that there is definitely something wrong. Two different sources of Wild Magic. One is more 'pure', the other is 'corrupted' with Dark Magic. With that, Kaden rushes off from their point to help out the 'woman with a scar on her face'.
> 
> That is, of course, Reina. We start off with her grounding some Wyvern Riders in sparring, before… her Kinshi comes to her, her mount is spooked. Alright then, and the issue? Oh, oh my… Looks like that scout wasn't imagining things or being tricked by Illusion magic. There is, in fact, a skeletal dragon out here, and it's raining hell down on Reina's section of the army. How can you kill something that is dead? How much magic does it possess?
> 
> Thankfully, Kaden comes in to save the day! With an incredibly risky plan. Alongside Reina, he's to go airborne and do something that causes him concern. It's almost like whatever he is about to do potentially scares him more than death. Well, for one, he's choosing to jump into a dragon's mouth, and while that might seem not so terrible, since its dead and all, it proves to be a valid concern… it's still quite capable of digestion. But! We get to see where his concern lies.
> 
> Foxfire: Detonation.
> 
> In order to bring the skeletal dragon down, Kaden sacrifices one of his Foxfire orbs… and we're left with a cliffhanger on whether or not he lives. Hopefully that explosion also evaporated the stomach acid that was creeping up…
> 
> Lastly is… Lilith's regrets. She had a tough call to make… the two half-dragons are alive and well, but at a terrible cost. Lilith had to give up a portion of her body, which turns out to be the catalyst for Nyx to reanimate a dragon. We also get more insight with how much Lilith knows. So, even the Nine-tails who uses Foxfire: Detonation isn't immune to the incoming explosion. That makes the spell a true 'last resort'... it'll kill and burn everything: Allies, enemies, trees, houses that gets caught up in the explosion, it will leave the Nine-tails heavily wounded and magically drained. Guys? I don't like this…
> 
> Don't forget that the dragon was pretty high up there, and now Kaden is taking the brunt of a fall in a weakened state…
> 
> And oof, Lilith is livid. I can't blame her, either… dragons are prideful, and her pride was walked on, thrown out the window. Let's hope she does take the time to properly calm down before even attempting to find her.


	70. Burning Desire (for Revenge)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako.
> 
> Silky refers to Lupus = Lu-pu.
> 
> Qsoeqat = Quacker. Belladonna = Bella or Cimmefuppe = Kim.

 

“Woah, boy!” Reina shouts as an explosion rocks the area behind them. Unlike with Kaden jumping off of her Kinshi, the force from this was almost enough to send her Kinshi crashing down… and she had a half-minute’s time to get away! Though… it seems even with this distance some of the slower-moving Wyvern Riders were  **still**  taken down. If they didn’t burn from that blue fire, then they were hit by a stray piece of bone that had been launched at ridiculous speeds from the explosion. “Kaden… Kaden!” She turns around to see the remainder of whatever the hell Kaden just pulled off. A huge plume of smoke, the ground below is burning with an enticing blue fire, giant bones litter the ground…

And Kaden in his Nine-tails form is held down under one of the massive rib cage bones.

“C’mon… let’s go!” She guides her Kinshi over to the site… before her Kinshi refuses to get any closer, thanks to the natural fear of fire. “Damn it, we’ve… fine. I’ll get him!” Instead, she guides her Kinshi to the ground around and she gets off to run towards Kaden. “Kaden? Kaden!” She shouts, hoping her voice is enough to get him to budge. Reina deftly moves around some of the intense blue flames… which are hot enough to give her a sizzling feeling, despite being an entire lance away.

Then she feels something sizzling around her feet. One quick glance down shows that there is a lot of acid-like liquid in a puddle. She immediately steps back onto ‘safe’ ground. “Kaden!” She tries again, going around the acid. Finally she reaches the unconscious Nine-tails. “Kaden? Kaden. Come on, hear me out…” She heaves a breath as she stresses her already sore muscles to move the bone. “Ngh… Kaden, I swear to the gods… if you die on me now…” She slowly makes progress, “Think about how Kagero will take this!” One more heave and the bones moves. She stoops down and pulls out a spare concoction, “Kaden!” She pats his cheek, and checks his pulse. Gods, if he is alive, she sure can’t tell right now.

Do the Foxfire orbs stay if they are dead? Because Reina sees two of them, just barely glowing. She raises his head a bit and gently pours some of the concoction in. Just a bit, in case he can’t keep it in him. “Gently now.” It slides down his throat.

“Ka-da!  **Ka-da** !” A voice screams out. She looks up to see Selkie dashing in her Nine-tails form. “Brother…” She moves through the blue fire as if it doesn’t bother her. “No, no no no… don’t go away.”

“Not so roughly, he…”

“ **Move** !” She growls with a surprising amount of command, “I can help…” Reina moves a bit. “Alright, what was it… Foxfire…?” A pause as one of the Foxfire orbs comes close to her. “Uh…”

She takes a guess, “Heal? Recover? Rejuvenate? Revive?”

Selkie tilts her head, “Foxfire: Recover.” Nothing. “No… ugh. C’mon, the Ka-da’s father did it once. Transfer? No, that’s not it.”

“Selkie…”

“I’m thinking, I’m thinking!” She snaps back. “I’m not like Ka-da, I  **need**  a Beastrune to have this form! I’ve only had it for a few weeks, Ka-da couldn’t teach me all of the spells yet! Foxfire…” She looks around, and while her fur hides her skin, Reina can easily imagine her face paling… then she can see Selkie’s mind ‘click’, “Foxfire: Sacrifice, Revive!” The second word worried Reina at first. One of Selkie’s Foxfire orbs pulses, before it… nothing. Selkie’s breath catches, “Foxfire: Sacrifice, Revive!” She shouts. “Foxf… foxf…” She bares her fangs. “Foxfire… Foxfire…”

“Selkie?” Did it take her too long?

“Foxfire: Sacrifice… Revive!” Her body collapses to the ground. “That’s what father said… all those years ago. He gave up one of his Foxfire orbs for one of his mates… it cured the Beast Killer toxin, it mended all of her wounds, and it was like she was never struck in the first place.” All nine of her tails still as her body trembles, and while it seems she’s ready to… not a single tear falls. Instead she stands up once more, rears her head back, and lets out the single most powerful howl-scream Reina has ever heard. Even her years with fighting, as well as a pair of hands over her ears, did almost nothing to stop this noise from echoing in her head.

Selkie holds this for an entire minute.

Reina’s ears are ringing when Selkie finally finishes and takes a deep breath. “ **Selkie** ?” Reina asks, unaware of how loud she sounds right now.

“...we should get going.” She unshifts and picks Kaden up with relatively little issue.

Reina forgot how strong a beastfolk can be… even the Kitsunes, who are normally known for their speed. “Selkie?”

“Come on…” She states with an unnerving amount of seriousness, nothing like the vixen that the army knows about. “Besides, I don’t think you can take much more of the lingering Foxfire here…”

Oh right… Reina was so caught up in trying to help Kaden that she forgot just how intensely this fire around them burns. Even being over a dozen feet does nothing. “We’re heading to Princess Sakura’s and Prince Leo’s camp.” Also Selkie gives in confirmation is a nod.

* * *

Castle Krakenburg… just a few days ago it was pretty calm, but now? It’s hectic, many people moving around many places. And as a Maid… that means there’s always something to clean. Flora huffs out a cold mist of air as she cleans up yet another set of shattered glass, an empty vial. The nobles are starting to panic, the guards are frantic, citizens are looking for refuge in a more sturdy environment, and Krakenburg itself could almost falter from the size of the army staring down at it.

And it’s about time King Garon gets dethroned!

Though, for now, until a reasonable opportunity arises, Flora will just do her daily duties as a Maid. Flora sighs as another mess is cleaned up. She walks across the hall, takes a turn and goes towards the nearest… slam. She raises an eyebrow as she sees one of the doors slam close, to the point where the nearby painting almost falls.

Well, it’s not unusual to see such violent behavior here, but… Flora keeps walking, and slows down right in front of…

“What do you mean?!” Female, almost a scream. Flora tilts her head.

“A-as the reports say… it’s... been taken out.” Male, scared. Perhaps they forgot to apply a Silencing Ward?

“That’s it? ‘Taken out’?” Flora can literally feel a pulse of magic shoot out from inside, oh… she is morbidly interested in this. “I gave you the means to take out most of the army… you’ve done me so much good. You’ve allowed me so much freedom,  **and this is how I’m repaid** ?! Does your pathetic mind realize how much use I could’ve made out of those reagents?”

“...partially? I haven’t studied dragons as you did…”

Stomp, stomp, “I could’ve taken a single scale and bolstered over a dozen soldiers to have skin stronger than steel. I could’ve taken a claw or tooth and grant them strength to rival a Wolfskin. I could’ve used the blood and meat to give them vitality to fight a battle for over a day without rest. But! You wanted me to make a formidable defense, a means of leveling the odds, and I gave you just that! Instead of empowering several platoons, I combined those reagents and gave you a Dragon! One made of bone and magic, immune to the otherwise lethal effects of a Wyrmslayer. I even binded it to your will, considering how many times your mind saved me work.”

“There were unknown variables, surely…”

“You are the  **King’s Tactician** ! You should have accounted for every possible variable from here to Hoshido!” Ah, so the male is Iago. Flora holds back a laugh, it’s about time someone brings him down a few notches. “A dozen scales, four teeth, two claws, a pound of flesh… wasted.” A short and tense pause.

“Couldn’t you have just kept…?”

“Fool.” She cuts him off, “You dare question how I handle dragons? I  **know**  them better than anyone who ever lived… I played my hand for the long run. Yes, I did ‘let’ her go, but in doing this, I shattered her pride. She will be filled with a need to return... to ‘put me in my place’. She will return with an unsteady mind, consumed by that need, an anger, revenge.” She giggles, “And I’ll be ready. Zimipe will be far easier to permanently shackle in this state, and then I can have all the time I want with her… Every last scale, teeth and claws.” Her voice rises a bit, “I’ll take her tail, muscles, fat, blood, eyes, heart, lungs, stomach, intestines, brain… not even her ovaries will be spared. Nothing will go to waste.” It takes everything within Flora’s willpower to not bend over and vomit…

That is  **wrong** ! “Is there anything I can do to…?”

“No. This was to be my last moment to help bolster your army… and you squandered it.”

“But, we could still use your raw potential.”

“The army is dead. Your war is lost. I’m not standing within to get captured or to be slaughtered.” Another pause, “...fine, very well. I suppose there’s one more thing you can do.”

“Anything. Name it.”

“I want this war prolonged.” A strange request.

“I assume you have a plan?”

A small ruffling noise, “I saved one scale and one claw. This is what’s going to happen… I’m going to give you these, a set of instructions, and you are going to follow through.”

“Wouldn’t it be for the best if you perform it?”

“...this isn’t more than a few words. Are you telling me you are incapable of that?”

“No, it’s not that, I just… U-um… Nyx?” Nyx?

“If you cannot do that, then…” Another wave of magic, but this one feels sinister… even worse than Dark Magic. “I will take back what I gave to you…”

“W-wait, no, I mean… I can, I… Nyx?! Please!” His voice rises.

“You’ve already gave me your answer, Iago.” Her voice lowers, “You obviously don’t trust yourself, besides… you’ve wasted all of those resources…”

“I-I’m the King’s Tactician, I…”

“Iago? You are about to be nothing.”

“You’re going to… kill me? Me?!”

Nyx laughs, “No, killing would be a waste of resources. There’s a better way to rid of you.” A pause, “Besides, can you really say you’re dead… if your soul lives on in me?” Flora hears Iago’s breath catch, “Toqjum… fveop.” Flora shakes her head, moves away from the door, then purposely throws the glass onto the floor, and cleans it back up slowly. During this, she uses her native Ice magic to cool her body temperature. She also tries to stop her racing mind, she needs to… the door opens, and Flora feels magic leave Nyx, she mutters the incantation to remove a Silencing Ward. Then it clicks… she was so angry that she forgot to cast it in the first place! “Oh good, a Maid… do clean up in there, ‘lest that mess festers.”

“At once, milady.” Flora bows… though Nyx remains in the doorway. “Ma’am?”

Despite her youthful appearance, Nyx is giving off an aura that makes Flora feel like not much more than a child. “Hmph.” She huffs, then walks away.

Flora lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Gods, just being stared at felt like looking at death. Alright, so… there’s a ‘mess’ in there. Flora walks in, and while there are a number of books that have been sent to the floor, there is one strange pile.

Ashes.

Flora stoops down and touches it with a finger. She’s felt ashes before, but these don’t… ‘feel’ like ashes from a fire. Wait. Her stomach turns as she notices the tiniest of glints, and what is inside this pile?

Iago’s half-face mask.

Flora gags. What did Nyx just do to him?! What sort of magic allows this? She didn’t turn him into cinders, because the mask would’ve been super-heated, maybe melted… yet it’s completely intact.

A footstep echoes out and she startles. “I said clean it.” Flora freezes in fear. “What’s the matter? It’s a pile of ashes. Surely you should know of them, despite your birth home?” She walks closer.

Flora quickly shoves the slightly ash-stricken mask in her Maid outfit. “I haven’t… actually.” She lies.

“Ah, you must be used to the cold, so you don’t really need fires…” Her hand touches her shoulder, “So if that’s true… why are you shaking?”

“It’s normal…”

“Look at me and say that.”

“Ma’am, I need to clean and…”

“Don’t. Test. Me.” Flora nods, rises, and turns around… but it’s not what she wanted to do! Nyx eyebrow raises as she looks a bit down. “A strange place to collect ashes, don’t you think?”

“Ashes are lightweight, they simply landed on my dress.” Flora counters.

More magic, “Is that so? Because it seems that the ash trail slowly becomes more prominent as it reaches…” She reaches out with her hand, and Flora can’t find the will to protest, “a pocket.” She pulls out Iago’s mask. “Nervous… scared, even. Your breathing is uneven, your eyes are wide.” Nyx walks up to her, “You’re hiding something.”

“I am!” Flora squeaks and covers her mouth, how?! That’s not what she was going to say!

Nyx smiles, “I like that… when people cooperate. When they listen. When they obey those superior… so, what is your name?”

“Flora, ma’am… daughter of the Ice Tribe chieftain.” Stop, stop! Flora is screaming in her head.

“Flora… now, what is it that you’re hiding?”

“There… wasn’t a…” Gods, she can’t stop her own mouth, “Silencing Ward.”

Nyx scowls, “Damn it…” She takes a breath, “I’ve gotten careless.” Flora whimpers. “Daughter of the Ice Tribe chieftain… a shame, I don’t see gathering much use out of that position.”

“I’m sure I can offer something for you?” Absolutely terrifying… her body is moving on its own accord, all she can do is watch and listen.

“Yet, at the same time, your magic reserves are so low that I don’t even want to bother.” Her voice is so detached. Nyx hums, but even that sounds wrong. “Useless to harvest, useless to control… what can I do with someone like you?”

The magical stress fades some, and Flora can move her mouth on her own accord. “Let me go?”

“And that’s it? Such a foolish answer.” She raises her finger to motion ‘come here’, “I’ve thought of something.” A pause, “Obey me, Flora.” The magical ‘noose’ tightens again… how does she have access to this much magic?! Flora’s body lowers her head, and Nyx places a gentle hand on her cheek, the hand pulsing a soothing blue. “If you follow my orders through and through, I can make use of you. If you dare disappoint me, then you’ll follow Iago’s fate. Understand?”

“As you command.” Stop, stop,  **stop** !

“Good girl. Now, clean up this mess, and we’ll meet up somewhere else, okay?” She smiles and walks out…

Knowing full well Flora will follow through with her commands.

* * *

Utvseie takes a breath as she and Mikoto walk into a ‘vault’. There it is in the center… surrounded by glass, on top of a pillow, covered by heavy magical wards. A single cracked egg, with the fragments scattered around it. “...Yseranyx.” The eldest sister walks closer and reaches out to touch the glass. “Sister.” Emotions well up as she lightly cries. “Thank you… you have no idea how much it means to me.” She just barely whispers.

“I think I might know…” Mikoto walks up beside her, “Do you need a moment to yourself?”

“No, I… just had to sate my curiosity.” She shakes her head, “Besides, I need to find my two wayward brothers… and then get back to the army, and I also…”

“You don’t have to do  **all**  of that. Listen to yourself! You are working yourself to the ground.”

“Someone needs to keep them in line.” She then tilts her head, but not because of Mikoto, “Ninja?”

A cough, “Pardon my intrusion.” Oh, it’s that green hair man. Kaze? “Your Highness…”

“Is something wrong?”

“I’ve used every technique I know… and I am confident to say that King Garon kept Zola in the dark about plans.”

“Zola?” Utvseie echoes.

“A foul man who used Illusion magic to take the guise of my youngest daughter, Sakura… and more recently he somehow managed to learn about the secret routes within the castle and almost took my life… if it weren’t for Nalaptijep.” Mikoto supplies, before turning to Kaze, “Then we have no use for him, I won’t bargain anything for Nohr with him.”

“Understood.”

“Sakura is your daughter that you had with my father… which makes her my sister.” The eldest sister of the brood states, “and this man tried to be her?”

“He has a long list of crimes, but those two are the most severe.”

“And you think he doesn’t know anything?”

Kaze nods, “Magebane toxin, cuts, lack of food and water, isolation, irregular patrols… I’ve tried everything I could.”

“Then I want to see him.” Her expression turns dark. “Where is he?”

“Queen Mikoto?”

“...Very well. Let’s go.” She nods, to which Kaze silently nods and begins leading.

“Do you think you can get something out of him?” The Queen asks.

Utvseie looks at her hand, “I know a few spells… besides, I know when someone is lying.” She looks up to Mikoto, open her mouth, but then decides against talking. Instead she simply follows the other two.

“Anymore news on the war effort?”

“There has been considerable progress. It seems as if Nohr was quietly wishing for a liberation…” Kaze starts.

“Oh? Please explain.” The Queen asks, as the eldest sister of the brood gets some interest.

“As of the latest report, once Ryoma and an elite group got through the mountain range and cleared out the main path, the Hoshidan army poured in. After that, nearly every battle that they fought ended up along the lines of: An attack is started, Nohrian soldiers either laid down their arms and defected to Hoshido, or lashed out at the Hoshidans and the defecting Nohrians. This trend continued to the point where our army had to split apart due to sheer size. The last section of this report dictates that there will be a force large enough to circle around Windmire and into Krakenburg.”

Enough humans to surround a city and a castle? The half-dragon has a hard time imagining such a large force… hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands? How do they even have enough food to feed everyone?! There… there’s no doubt that there is security in numbers, but there has to be a limit, right? While she does have a large pool of pride, primarily stemming from her draconic heritage, Utvseie doubts she can take a dozen soldiers at once.

Even Pimvsetbe, the vengeful eldest brother, has trouble fighting off a dozen at once… and he’s trained with his partial shifting so much that he has trouble getting out of that form. There’s absolutely no doubt that he is the physical fighter of the brood. For all of his pride, his revenge, and his incredibly stubborn nature to simply attack and kill… even she doesn’t want to cross and make an enemy of him…

The  **only**  advantage she has is that she can heal. Pimvsetbe is the pinnacle of partially shifted combat, and he is the quickest at shifting from that more nimble form to a full dragon form. All of that intense fighting has made him incredibly fast, strong… his weapons can reach further, they can bite deeper, his scales are as tough as the two-armed scale-shield that all of the brood can do. He can even form a one-handed shield  **and**  use either a lance, mace, or sword with that same arm!

...Unfortunately, this level of skill only further feeds his tendency to just attack and kill. At least she managed to beat the worst of it out of him, and try to get him to consider what his enemies can do.

“Oh, what’s this? Another…” Oh, they are here. Inside this cell sits a man who has clearly been on the end of torture. Scars, bruises, incredibly pale and thin body… “Wha-? Princess… Corrin?”

“No, Zola… this is her older sister, Utvseie.”

“Her name is Ztisepzy… Yseranyx in your tongue.” She lets out a growl.

“Hmph, well… I don’t know what you’re expecting out of me this time, but I’ve told what I know and…” He crosses his arms.

“This will be your last visit, monster.” Mikoto spits out, “Once she’s done, your life will be forfeit.”

“Ah-ha! Even the ‘great peace-keeper’ is calling for executions?” Zola smirks, “How does it feel? Answering the call for death so willingly?”

“You, Iago, and King Garon… never before in my life had I wished for people to suffer, to die… but you three? You’ve pushed and you’ve pushed. Creating that vile toxin, causing my family so much harm. The level of torture you put my youngest through. Taking my Corrin away from me  **again** !” Her voice slowly rises. “So, think of it as you will…” She tilts her head towards Utvseie, “And pray she gives you a quick death, because gods know I want to see you writhe one more time… Kaze? We’re leaving.”

The eldest sister’s eyes remain locked on Zola. “Zola, illusionist.” She simply states.

“And another one of your kind… if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you, Lady Corrin, and that dastard who stopped Mikoto from becoming another stain on the wall were all the same person.” He cackles…

She enters the cell with a show of strength. She tapped a little into her Dragonstone, and ripped the gate off its hinges… which promptly caused Zola to turn even more pale and absolutely silent. “What’s the matter? Frightened?”

“Brute strength is all your kind knows.” Despite that ‘bold’ statement, the man is shaking.

“And an unrelenting need to hurt others is all yours know.” She corners him, then stoops down.

“Ah, so there is a difference…” He looks right at her eyes, “You’ve a brown eye.”

“Inherited from my father.” A slight pain strikes her chest… she’s never known him, and never really will.

“The late King Sumeragi, correct? I’ve been told he was turned into a delightful pincushion.” Zola spits, “A fool.”

She almost stepped right into that provocation… but she’s not the eldest brother, who would’ve no doubt severed Zola several times over by now. She’s not the middle brother, who would’ve probably take his time directly digesting him. She’s… closest to the youngest brother in this regard… a quick, clean kill. In fact, despite his sexual tendencies, Qsoeqat is pretty level headed, and she was pleasantly surprised when she first learned of his ease of leading all of those Wolfskin packs.

“Not as much a fool as you… I can barely believe that you’ve managed to push one of the most peaceful persons in existence to  **want**  to kill.”

“Everyone has their breaking point.” He smiles.

“How did you know of the secret passages?”

Another laugh, “Ah, ah, ah… it’s a secret.”

“That you shouldn’t know.”

“It’s unwise to share secrets.” So, this must be the ‘game’ that Zola had played with Kaze.

So, she holds out her hand, “Here.”

“...huh?”

“Hold it.”

“No.”

“Scared?” She tilts her head with a smile. “What is there to be scared of… I’m not finished, which means you won’t die from this.”

“I won’t defile myself by… ngh!” She grabs him back the neck and slams him against the wall, hard enough to crack the bricks.

“Ipgmeni.” She lets go of him as her Wild Magic surges through him… except that, well… some of the spell backfired and a rush of red fire swirls around her own arm, it won’t be anything nearly as bad as what Zola is about to go through, but… no. No. She’ll just bear through it until he calls for it to stop.

“Wha… ah!  **Ah** !” He plants himself on the ground and starts rolling around, trying to put out the burning feeling that is surrounding his form. “Stop… stop!”

She holds back a grimace as her own fire is burning hotter, as it starts creeping past her arm, through her shoulder and into the rest of her body, “What’s the matter? It’s just a little fire. It won’t kill you.” She takes an approach similar to how she beat the idea of ‘don’t attack everyone’ to the eldest brother… well, she wasn’t quite  **this**  ruthless.

“It’s… it’s worse than… Mage… Magebane! Make it stop!”

“Ah yes, ‘Magebane’... you only feel that intense burning pain for the initial injection, and then again when you try to cast when its still in your body, right? So… how does it feel? To have that pain stay?” Don’t get her wrong, she isn’t fond of this type of treatment… she isn’t the middle brother.

“Mercy!” He starts begging, “Mercy, mercy!”

She grabs the rolling man with a hand, [Dispel.] She smoothly switches to Draconic again. “Speak, the secret passageway… or I’ll reignite the spell and you can roll until you die.” Oh, sweet sweet relief… if she spent even another minute within the burning confines of her own spell, she would’ve probably ended up dispelling it early.

“You’d leave me burning… for days?!” He scoffs, though he seems willing to talk… perhaps he’s trying to instill guilt? “If anyone is the monster here, it’s you and your ‘brood’.”

“Five…”

“Five what?”

“Four…”

“What are you…”

“Three...”

“Trying to be…”

“Two…”

“My mother?”

“One…” He tries to keep a straight face, one last act of defiance. She raises her hand, [Enfla…]

“Stop!”

“Speak… Three…” She restarts her counting.

“King… King Garon assured me the information was correct and accurate! One of Krakenburg’s Maids is incredibly unique! After getting some details from an educated source, he cornered this woman, a dragon taking the form of a human! She’s lived many… ‘lives’, understand? One of those ‘lives’ was an incredibly delicate position in Shirasagi, which gave her the knowledge of the escape routes! His Highness managed to bribe her into getting that information! That’s all I know!” He bows his head…

Utvseie narrows her eyes, “Two…”

“Wh-what?! I told you everything I…”

“One…”

“Gods fine… I was there! Yelena, Zimipe, whatever the bitch’s name is… she took the form of a Maid with bright blue hair and piercing yellow-golden eyes.”

“And the informant who told Garon about Zimipe?”

“I don’t know where she came from, but she practically just waltzed into Krakenburg and had a high amount of influence within a few days!”

“Name.”

“N-Nyx? She looks very young… younger than Lady Sakura, but she has more magical potential than Iago and me put together… several times over!”

“Anything else about Nyx?”

“That I  **really**  don’t know. As I said, she literally just walked in and somehow became a high-ranking advisor on draconic topics.”

“Stubborn human… just imagine all of that pain you wouldn’t have to deal with if you’d just said that in the first place.” She huffs as she drops his once more, then she pauses, “You know… I’ve never killed someone who had no way of defending themselves.”

“So, what is that supposed to mean to me? Should I be feeling pity?”

“Don’t take it as empathy, I don’t care for your life.” She manages to keep her tone even, “You’ve hurt my brood… you’ve hurt my human family.”

“Then kill me already.”

Utvseie closes her eyes, sighs, then nods. “She’s right, I’m probably one of the few of those will give you a quick and…”

“After setting my insides on fire?!” He cuts her off. “Hypocrite.”

“...if I didn’t have the patience that I have, you would have been dead without me even setting foot in here.”

“And you call  **this** … patient?! If that’s your standard for ‘patient’, I’d hate to see what ‘peace’ or ‘conversation’ is like!” A pause.

“Zola, was it?”

“You sure are taking your sweet time.”

“Stand.”

“No.” Sighing, she yanks him up, her hand moves to hover over his chest. Thump, thump, thump. Despite his skilled means to keep a straight face, his heart is hammering. One simple thought passes, and her arm shifts into the first weapon she’s ever learned to partially shift… a lance. The lance quickly turns back and she drops Zola… then walks out. That man is one of the… she sniffs the air, rounds the corner and walks down a different hall. About five or so cells down sits the only other prisoner in this entire place.

It’s her human side sparking the curiosity.

“Oh my… Princess… Corrin? Wait, no that can’t be right.” While Zola has seen better days, it seems this woman has been getting much better treatment. While her skin is still relatively pale, at least she looks like she’s eating quite well.

“Corrin… Ztisepzy. She’s my little sister.”

“Sister? But… Princess Hinoka and Princess Sakura are her sisters.” She tilts her head, her purple hair has been recently cut, it seems.

“Half-dragon, she’s part of my brood. Name.”

“Princess Camilla of Nohr.” She states. “And you are…?” She isn’t giving off a bad vibe.

“Utvseie, eldest sister of my brood.” She looks her over once more, “Curious as to that there was only two prisoners in this whole place.”

She nods, “I’ve heard the screams from Zola. So… he’s dead?”

“A single thrust through his heart.”

To her surprise, Camilla scoffs, “I’m shocked he  **has**  a heart.” Was Zola just… hated by everyone? Utvseie shakes her head and leaves. She  **does**  have two brothers to track down…

* * *

It didn’t take a set of enhanced senses to know something went terribly wrong. Kagero, whilst running her rounds through her liege’s portion of the army, which is also the primary force, felt the ground rumble, heard a small ‘boom’, and saw a small blue cloud far off in the distance. In fact, if she were to align it, then imagine the map in her head, she would conclude that is in the direction of Reina’s camp… but, she couldn’t determine if it is far enough to have occurred there.

Instead, that was determined when one of the Sky Knights flew in with a report in hand. He didn’t even bother landing near the stables, and instead swooped down to a mere dozen feet from Lord Ryoma. As such, Kagero quickly returned to her liege’s side. “High Prince… Ryoma!” The messenger dashes, “Urgent report from… Reina.”

Lord Ryoma stands tall, “Well? Allow me to read it.”

“It was spoken, milord…” Kagero’s body runs a bit colder, a ‘spoken’ urgent report is one of the worst ones.

“While the threat has been killed… there were heavy casualties in Reina’s camp.” He takes one more breath, which is enough to steady him, “The Nohrians managed to reanimate a massive dragon with nothing but bones and magic. This dragon decimated Reina’s camp with a single fireball, then proceeded to kill the majority of her troops.”

While he was doing his best to hide it, Kagero could tell that Lord Ryoma is wracked with pain. “Gods, a… skeletal dragon?” She tilts her head, how much magic would  **that**  take? “But, as you said, it’s been killed, correct?”

The man nods, but with a grim expression. “Only because of Kaden, milord.”

What?! No, no no… “Kaden, is he okay?” Kagero asks, too overcome with concern, but still manages to regain herself.

“I… cannot say, I was sent the moment the remaining Sky Knights and Wyvern Riders arrived at Prince Leo’s camp. That… the explosion in the distance was from Kaden, with whatever magic a Nine-tails has.”

_“It’s going to be a while…”_  Kagero whispered the night before they were going to be in different sections of the army.  _“It’s going to hurt, without you with me.”_

Kaden looked away… unlike Keaton, the Nine-tails is much more attuned with the ‘human emotions’, he is far more sensitive to her well-being.  _“All the more reason to finish things off, huh?”_  He tried to lighten the mood, but she could see his concern.  _“Love, right? That’s what this is? A pain in my chest from the thought of being separated? Doesn’t seem too right to me.”_

_“It’s also the joy of turning around and seeing the one you cherish so much.”_  Kagero countered,  _“Waking up from naps, eating beside you, anything… I want to be with you, Kaden.”_

_“Even if… Kagero, you know you won’t be the only one.”_  Ah right,  **that**  topic.

Though to Kaden’s surprise in that moment, Kagero nodded,  _“I’ve come to terms with that,_ **_if_ ** _… as long as I am the one you love, then I can handle your need to have other mates. I want to be your love.”_

_“R-Really?”_  Kaden’s tail wagged with incredible speed, then pulled her into a hug,  _“I love you, Kagero… and um, well… since it’s going to be a while?”_

She got what he was implying, so her face flushed,  _“You’re right… so, yes.”_  She coughed,  _“Only once or twice this time, though… I_ **_do_ ** _need to be able to walk after.”_  She was ‘bed-ridden’ last time.

Kaden smiled,  _“Alright, so…”_

She moved back a bit,  _“Let me get the…”_  But stopped upon seeing a hurt expression from Kaden.  _“Love, we’re at war, we can’t afford for me to get pregnant.”_

_“But we’re at the_ **_end_ ** _of the war! Do you think it’s going to take four months…”_

Another cough for attention,  _“Nine months.”_

_“Nine months to get that Castle assaulted? Besides… it feels wrong if you’re preventing any chance to…”_

A pause, before Kagero nodded,  _“Again, you’re right... okay, then. I suppose going unprotected now would…”_  She closed the distance,  _“Kaden? I’m ready when you are.”_  With her consent, he quickly claimed her lips in a kiss and…

“Kagero?” Lord Ryoma asks, bringing her out of her memories.

“Hm? Oh! My apologies, my liege.” Kagero shakes her head embarrassed to have been caught daydreaming like that.

He frowns, “I asked if you wish to be re-positioned to…?”

Though to his surprise, her face hardens, “I’ll attend to this after the war… and after I find out who summoned that dragon.” She brandishes her shurikens, “Whoever did this, however many did this…”

Lord Ryoma crosses his arms. “Kagero? Take the rest of the day to yourself, but do not leave this camp.”

A pause, before Kagero nods. “Understood, milord.” She walks, to where exactly? Probably under some shade, a place where she can take a nap… even if she doubts she will be able to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reina is back for her second PoV in a row! Starting off right after Kaden’s Foxfire: Detonate, just to show off how devastating that was… despite having about a half minute to get away, some of the Wyverns still got hit, even Reina’s Kinshi was thrown off balance. So, shortly after things settled, she turns around and tracks down Kaden, located in a field of bones, blue fire, and a single puddle of leftover stomach acid. Reina pushes through the intense heat to make the assumption that he just might be already dead. His Foxfire orbs are drained, and he isn’t moving…
> 
> Enter Selkie! She undoubtedly could see the explosion… or at least feel the magic from it. And now we get to see a second Foxfire spell that consumes a Foxfire Orb… Foxfire: Sacrifice, Revive, but… well. The spell fails, Selkie couldn’t think of the spell fast enough and… oof. That scene hurt, because as much as I wanted him to make it through, I just don’t think that would’ve been probable enough. His Foxfire spell left him weakened, and he fell from a height that would have easily killed both a flying unit and their mount, not to mention that one portion of a rib cage bone that landed on him.
> 
> Alright, Flora… I was unsure about this one, and what I mean is that I wanted to include it last chapter, but the problem is that the scene is pretty intense, and I didn’t want to take away from Kaden’s portion last chapter. Now, with that background bit out of the way, let’s see… seems Flora and Felicia are still quite stuck in Krakenburg, so here’s to them getting out of this mess. We get to see a bit of Flora doing some actual cleaning… and, oh my. Welp, now we got the exact origins of the skeletal dragon. Nyx used most of the items she got from Lilith to reanimate one… but gave the control to Iago. Wait… ah-ha! So Nyx was not working alone in Krakenburg, as she managed to get Iago in on this. That would explain all of the leverage she could get. However…
> 
> Iago definitely messed up. His orders gotten that summon killed off, and considering how into dragons Nyx is, that would definitely make her livid. So livid that she forgot to cast a Silencing Ward before entering, and now Flora is aware of… oh. See while Nyx messed up and forgot to make sure that the conversation doesn’t get out, she did not make the mistake of letting a witness walk away. Though, instead of giving her the same fate as Iago, she was instead a victim of magical control. I dare say, if this were a scene in-game, then there would be that glaring part, a few words exchanged, and then Flora would be free… but this Nyx isn’t like that.
> 
> Utvseie has returned from roughly where it left off a few chapters ago… going with the Queen to look at her sister’s egg, which has in fact, been kept in perfect condition. Oof, imagine how hard that must’ve hit her. There’s no advantage to keeping the egg, but her father and his wife kept it. So, we got from that, to a quick report from Kaze… which notably does not include the recent skeletal dragon attack, the destruction of Reina’s base camp, a large number of Wyvern Riders and Pegasi Knights, and the near death experience of Kaden. But wait, now she gets her chance to get Zola to speak and wouldn’t ya know… This eldest sister can get outright vicious. She used a spell he clearly wasn’t ready for, and he caved in within a minute… or maybe that was simply because his body has finally had it? Regardless, we finally get the answer on how the passage was figured out…
> 
> Lilith. I’m really feeling sorry for her… this is the second time, well technically the first time, she’s been manipulated into providing something really powerful for Nohr. The first one is her previous ‘life’ experience into providing information on the escape routes… the second is exchanging the safety of Lupus and her sister for giving up some of her body as a number of reagents for Nyx.
> 
> Last up is Kagero, and… there’s not much to say here. Relaying the news of Reina’s camp, the skeletal dragon attack, and she is left without the specifics on Kaden’s condition… since this messenger was sent by Prince Leo, which means Reina and Selkie, who is carrying Kaden, hasn’t returned yet. Oh, and it seems Kaden and Kagero frolicked around without any protection, hm...


	71. Nohr, Prepare Yourself!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The war is coming to a close, everyone… it won’t be long before the Hoshidans are breaking into Garon’s front door, but first… a bit more development between characters, how does that sound?
> 
> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako.
> 
> Silky refers to Lupus = Lu-pu.
> 
> Qsoeqat = Quacker. Belladonna = Bella or Cimmefuppe = Kim.

 

Castle Krakenburg has gotten silent, er no, that’s not right. It’s… missing things. Ever since panic broke out from the events in the arena, things haven’t been right. First off, that cute little Maid that Flora and her were roomed with just… vanished. Lilith, was it? Oh, she was such a sweet woman, trying to do all she could to make sure Felicia doesn’t shatter another plate or glass.

She looks up on top of the dresser, where Flora’s and Felicia’s last definite reminder of home sits… broken by Felicia on the day they arrived, but somehow perfectly repaired the morning after.

She frowns in the mirror as she fiddles with her Maid outfit. The Hoshidan army is moving into position… she truly hopes that they will see and understand that she and her sister are being forced here.

She wants to run to her father again, and be held, even for a few minutes. She wants to have another meal made by her mother. She wants to participate in the Ice Tribe traditions, and watch as Flora becomes the leader that she is clearly becoming.

…

Felicia wants to hold a young child in her arms, to cradle and care for.

“Sister?” Oh, oh!

“Sister!” Felicia smiles, “You’re back early! Oh, I’m so glad and…” She tilts her head as she notes her sister’s stern expression. Now, while Flora is normally a bit more… tough, she seems more tough.

Flora looks away for a moment, hurt. “I ran into Iago during my duties today…”

Felicia frowns, Iago… She knows about the Tactician through reputation. “What did he do?”

“We have orders relayed from Iago by the King.” Felicia’s body goes a bit colder, and not in the way she’s used to. “We’re to fight on the frontlines.”

“Wh-what?! But… we’re not soldiers!”

“He’ll have father and mother executed if we don’t.”

Wait, King Garon has… more soldiers in the Ice Tribe? Felicia internally shrugs, it’s not like she knows how to handle soldiers. Still, she can’t deny something is off… “Flora? I don’t like this.”

“Neither do I, sister.” Still, she has that slightly-older-sister determination.

“Well, maybe… aren’t the Hoshidans trying to spare a lot of people?” It has to be the truth, as there is no way an army can double its size so quickly.

And that’s when Flora’s look turns absolutely sour, the darkest of dark… “If King Garon learns that we are captured… then we have to work against them from the inside. Or else he’ll have our parents killed.”

“Th-that’s… well, what if we hide?” The sorrowful look from Flora just confirms that fear. “Flora~! I don’t want to lose our parents! I don’t want to fight, I don’t want to…” Felicia breaks down in tears.

Then Flora, with her usual confidence, brings Felicia into a hug, “We’ll make it through this sister…” is the last thing she whispered as her body gave in to all of the worry and concern and… why is she suddenly so sleepy?

* * *

Princess Sakura nearly broke down in tears as Reina and Selkie were the last two to arrive from the disaster that happened no more than a few hours ago. Selkie was carrying the body of Kaden, who gave up his own life to stop something that seemed impossible, a flying skeletal dragon. It was a fact that her love, Prince Leo, almost immediately kicked himself for. A death that he blamed himself for. And while she can’t exactly deny that, she also doesn’t want him to berate himself so much. A frown adorns her face…

That attack definitely threw everyone off.

Leo sent a messenger out the very second the bulk of the soldiers, the ones that survived that is, came in from Reina’s camp, but now there’s the new detail… Kaden’s death. Oh gods… Kagero, should they send another messenger right now? Maybe, maybe… Sakura’s mind is racing, she’s never had to deliver news about… death. She gulps, then taps on her Festal. “I’m going back to my position…” And to make things worse, the normally always excited and… alright she’s really fun to be around, but Sakura really doesn’t have the energy to keep up with her… Selkie has this really serious aura around her.

Well, she  **is**  the last of her hamlet, her family. “S-S-Silky, wait!” She finally calls her out.

“Oh, hey… Saku.” At least she’s trying to smile now. “I’m sorry I can’t stay for long, maybe we can play some other time?”

“Actually, it might be for the best if we order around a quick change in set-up.” Prince Leo walks up. “After all, Reina’s position is compromised, your position is significantly weakened… and the overall plan is built around what we  **had**.” At least he’s managing to hide his concern.

And to her surprise? Silky huffs, “I’ve heard a few whispers and mutters…” Her fangs show, “About how you dismissed a scout report.”

“Selkie, at the time, it sounded absurd. I still have a hard time…” He stops upon seeing Silky’s angered face.

“You got Ka-da  **killed**!” Tears as she snarls.

“I can understand the pain of loss, but we…”

“Can you? Can you!?” She gestures around here, “How many of you are there?! How many of me? There are hundreds of many many thousands of you. While mine are restricted to just the mountains and high places in Hoshido! And… and… now I’m the last of my hamlet!” Leo stands there, simply taking her anger.

“S-Silky, please…” Saku gently whispers. “We can’t start fighting against each other now, we need unity, to stand against the gr-greater enemy.” Silky trembles, but eventually nods, though she doesn’t actually say anything else, and simply walks away.

“Hm…” Leo hums, “I’ve heard of reanimating wyverns, conjuring Faceless… even a forbidden tome on raising the dead, but a dragon? Fueled with enough magic to allow flight and allow a single fireball to eradicate a camp? This sounds something far beyond Iago…”

“L-Leo?”

“I need to re-evaluate the defensive structure, balance out the magical versus physical output ratio of the units, but…” He sighs, “We also don’t have long. Actually, maybe it will be for the best if…”

“Leo?” Sakura repeats.

“Oh, my apologies… is something wrong?”

She smiles, “I want to show you something…”

“Now? There are…”

“Reina can handle the reports, Silky needs time to calm down, and you’re getting too tense.” She extends her hand, “So, how about a m-massage?” Her face instantly lights up.

* * *

Halfway across Hoshido and going to Nohr… Nalaptijep hasn’t been traveling as fast as he could. Somehow that woman managed to get through him better than his eldest sister ever could… maybe even better than his own mother. How? All she did was show kindness, and the amount of regret she showed after she announced she was going to label him a ‘criminal’...

Whatever, she’s human. He’s half-dragon. Besides, he needs to get to his missing sister, and then…? Well, depending on how the reunion goes, he might just end up living his solitary life. He forms and looks at his maw… well, mostly solitary. The hunger kicks in just by seeing the clear fluid dripping from the maw. The hunger that developed after eldest sister ‘forced’ him to stop bringing in so much fruit. The sweetness of a fruit within a body of blood and flesh, a life better spent in his hands… he turns and heads towards that town, not too far from where he is right now.

More, more… because unlike biting through a dozen apples, he can never get enough when things go through his maw, the taste that never gets dull. He licks his lips…

Then stops. A ‘tug’ in another direction, towards Nohr. He looks towards the village, wanting to satiate the never-ending hunger and… then what? It’s just a couple dozen more humans to crunch, rip, and taste through. The ground near him sizzles as his maw continues releasing the clear liquid in an increasing amount.

He shifts his maw away. “I think I’ll just hunt a few animals today…” He mutters to himself as he continues towards the mountains of Nohr.

* * *

Utvseie offers one last bow for Queen Mikoto. “Thank you for letting me see sister’s egg, I can’t express how much that meant to me.” The very thought is almost enough to bring more tears to her eyes. “I can still hardly believe father had it preserved…”

“I respected his wishes… he asked for me to never pry into the details, and I never did. I trusted his word.” Mikoto nods, “Despite that, I’m glad to have met you. I know you’ll attach to Corrin the second you see her… you are both so similar.” She smiles, “With all due respect, I wish I could say the same for…”

“He’s detached.” She plainly states, “When mother died, he became distant. His hoarding increased, and then… I pushed him and now he has a morbid fascination with taking life energies.” She mentally kicks herself…

“You weren’t ready to raise and guide them.” Mikoto offers, “No child should be forced into that situation.”

“Still, I could’ve done better.”

A few moments pass, “Let go of the past. What’s done is done, there’s no use berating yourself, instead… take that negativity and turn it into determination for the future. Think about what you can do for them. Remember, don’t force a change, instead… give them a reason to change. If a person doesn’t want to change, then you won’t be able to change them.”

She nods, “Thank you for all of that advice, I will make full use of it. I only hope I can get to them before they do something that can’t be undone…” A pause, before she realizes… “Other than killing people by the village.” She shakes her head, “Hopefully we can meet again, maybe… after the war? When I can get the brood together? I think you’ll like our youngest sister.”

“Then I will be looking forward to that meeting.” Mikoto nods, “Until…” Flap, flap.

A Pegasus rider swoops in, “Report from the frontlines. Urgent.”

“What?” Mikoto gasps, “I  **just**  got a report yesterday!” Regardless, she accepts the new report and flips through it with a speed that only repeated reading can provide. “Gods…”

“What’s wrong?” The eldest sister asks.

“Nohr summoned a massive skeletal dragon, it laid waste to Reina’s base camp, and killed most of the wyvern and pegasi units there…” A pause as she can almost literally see years being added onto her, “Kaden, a Nine-tails that my daughter has befriended, is presumed dead… sacrificing himself to destroy the dragon.”

Out of that entire report, only one thing truly stuck, “They… summoned a… dragon? Bones and magic?!” A growl escapes her. “They  **dare**  use my kind as…”

“Please, focus. I’d suggest making sure your brothers are safe, and if there’s time… then go to the army.” A pause, “If you wish, that is. You are under no obligation to directly fight…”

“Of course I am!” She snaps back, “Ztisepzy is out there, she needs to be saved! Besides… you raised her. You… you might not be our real mother, but… I’m fine with that.” She deflates some, “I’ll find the Pimvsetbe and Nalaptijep, then I’ll go to the army and fight in the name of Ztisepzy… for Hoshido.” She takes a breath, “I’ll see you some other time…” She shifts for the added speed and stamina, “Mother.” And off she goes.

* * *

Clash, cling, deflect, strike. Hana falls into the routine that she is the most comfortable with… sparring. She is so glad to be able to work herself to her fullest again, to be better prepared for the next challenge, to defend Lady Sakura… To make sure Subaki has something else to focus on. Her near death experience was enough to level her head some, since it did originate from her brashness. She recognizes and can understand the sort of horrors running through Subaki’s mind. While she might have pointed out his ‘perfection’ before…

Seeing him simply stop and stare at either the people training with naginatas, or watching the Pegasi from a distance sends shivers down her. There’s the longing of wanting to do those things again, but he seems too damaged to do so. Instead, he asked her for katana lessons. Sure, he might’ve been easily able to learn on his own, but… he asked her. Subaki could’ve asked from any of the ‘male’ Samurais… he probably even could’ve sparred with Lord Ryoma.

But he chose her.

That knowledge filled Hana with pride. He specifically wanted her to train him, and by the gods… she’s going to see this through. Even if it may irk her when something triggers a distraction and he’s left thinking. From what she can understand, the bond between a Pegasus and their rider is stronger than anything else. Not just a mount, a best friend, someone to lean on, to take care of… kind of like marriage, now that she thinks about it.

Oof, that’s not a thought she wants to think while sparring.

Which is a flaw that Subaki immediately takes and now Hana has lost this round. Alright, fine… she can’t deny he has skill. “Shall we take a break?” He asks.

“You can…” She huffs as she gets off of the ground, “I’m going to continue.”

A small smile, “That’s right, always so dedicated. If you don’t mind me asking… why did you look so surprised when I asked for your help?”

“I thought you would have asked someone else, like… Lord Ryoma.” She tried to sound neutral about it, but she knew that there was some hurt behind it.

“Hana… you are the best Samurai I’ve ever seen.” He simply states, “Yes, Lord Ryoma is strong, maybe even the best, but… you have this passion whenever you’re training, something that… I admittedly saw in Lady Hinoka when she joined the Sky Knights.” There it is, an almost instant disconnection, but at least he managed to pull himself out of it.

“You’ve never told me this before.” Hana points out. “Why now?”

“...because it wasn’t until I picked up this katana and started learning that I realized just how skilled you are. I believe that you bring incredible honor to the Samurai’s legacy.” Subaki pauses, before noticing that Hana’s expression darkened, “You were fooled, we all were. Yes, I had my suspicions, but… suspicions mean nothing if they are left unsaid. If I had worked with Kagero and Kaden, then maybe this wouldn’t have happened in the first place. So, Hana, if there is anyone to blame for our capture, it’s me.”

Hana takes several moments before she finally nods, the slightest of glint in her eyes, “Alright, but I’m not gonna do that… blame you.” A smile cracks, “Because that’s in the past, we’re in the present… and we’re going to kick those Nohrian butts in the future!”

Subaki chuckles, “Not exactly the answer I was aiming for, but…” He smiles, “I’m glad to see you return to your normal self, Hana.”

Her face turns more straight, “Less talking, more sparring!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

* * *

Vella remains crouched as she not-so-patiently waits for the army’s next move. She’s been trying to pass time with playtime against Keaty and Dadaan, but they have to go slow and gentle… because they are a ‘strike squad’, meant for knocking the Nohrians ‘off-balance’, before retreating and joining back in when the rest of the army comes in.

If they wanted speed, they’d just have the two Kitsunes do that.

Silky… Vella huffs as she lowers her crouch into a full-blown sit. How did that vixen get through to her so quickly? The first and seemingly obvious answer would be the playtime and games. Vella’s been itching to get some of her energy out and along comes Silky, a Kitsune with seemingly endless energy. A smiling and laughing face as they run around. Her heart aches slightly at the thought of Silky not being by her side.

Kind of like how Lupus isn’t by her side… erm, not as strongly, or… Vella thinks it over. Maybe she was too attached? Hina was always there, ready to help her sister out, but she also wasn’t ‘right there’ by her side. Silky is there, ready to play with Vella, but she also isn’t ‘right there’. Vella’s the only one who wants to be right next to Lupus, to always be able to smell her scent, to always… “Velouria?” Keaty asks.

“Do you smell that?” Vella tilts her head, then gets up and looks around. She takes another deep breath.

“Besides nature, I’m assuming?” Dadaan asks.

Vella huffs, “I wouldn’t be bringing it up if it was more of the same.” Alright, she said that with a bit more bite than she intended. She shifts into her Wolfskin form, then takes a sharper sniff… the difference was obvious. Her tail starts wagging incredibly fast, enough to kick up the dirt around it, her eyes light up, ears perked. She almost can’t believe, but she  **knows**  her scent better than anyone else in this entire world. “ **Sister**!” She shifts back, runs towards the scent, much to Keaty’s ire, and in less than a minute…

There she is. Lupus and… another woman who looks like her, though she does seem a bit younger, are approaching, the two are talking. Lupus’s ears perk and she flashes the best smile Vella has ever seen. “Vella!” Lupus exclaims as she rushes to meet her half-way. Vella tackles Lupus, tail wagging as she takes in her scent once more. What? It’s been a while, but Vella also internally promises not to smother her so much. “Vella? Vella! That… tickles!” Lupus giggles as the bitch purposely shoves her nose into her sister’s more sensitive spots across her body.

“You’re safe…” Vella whimpers after a minute of sniffing.

Lupus places a hand on her sister’s furry face, and smiles, “I missed you so much.” Lupus pulls Vella into a more ‘human’ greeting with a tight hug. “I’m glad to see you recovered. I was so scared when A Lord Casander took you down in  **a**  hit.” The other scent gets closer, and Lupus lets out a small ‘oh’, “Vella? This is Cimmefuppe… my, uh… sister.”

Vella looks up to the look-a-like, and tilts her head. Cimm… Kim opens her mouth and it moves, but she doesn’t hear anything. “Sister? But… Hina?” Back towards Lupus.

“Yes, well… I can’t be half-dragon if I don’t have a dragon as a parent, right?” She sheepishly smiles. “So, my mother is a dragon, and I’m part of a brood of six. She’s the youngest sister.” A pause, “Hina is still a sister, though! Just… we only share a father.”

“And she looks just like you…” Well no, she does look a bit less… ‘developed’.

“Big sister does, too… except that one of her eyes is brown like father’s. I also have three brothers, who… also look the same.” A genuine smile creeps up. “Oh! Bella… erm, her Draconic name is Cimmefuppe, but the human version is Belladonna, but I like the name Bella, so I call her Bella…”

“‘Draconic’ name?” Vella asks.

Lupus nods, “Vella? My birth name is Ztisepzy, or Yseranycas in the human tongue.”

She huffs, “I’m still calling you Lupus.”

Lupus smiles, “I’d rather you call me Lupus, too. So! Anyway… Bella can’t talk much more than a whisper, because of…” She trails off for a moment, “A lot of complicated things, you’re going need to be close to hear her, but she can hear us just fine.” She turns her head towards Bella, “Sister? She is the sister that I grew up with as part of the Wolfskin pack. She is Vella.”

Bella creeps up a bit closer, eyes a little wide. “Jimmu, Wimme.”

Vella gives her a really strange look, “Um, what?”

Bella squeaks, then clears her throat, “Hello, Vella… sorry. I’m used to… Draconic.”

“Sister?” Lupus returns her gaze towards Vella, “Can I get up now?”

“Huh? Oh, sure…” Vella lets up on her grip, and the two sisters get up.

“So… I can smell Keaty and Dadaan, but…?”

Vella nods, “There’s a lot of updates to tell you.”

Lupus smiles, “How convenient… there’s a lot of updates I need to tell you all.” She extends one hand to Vella and one to Bella, “So, let’s get to the males and start talking!”

Vella holds off on immediately grabbing her hand. “But, first… would you mind howling with me?”

Lupus gasps, “Of course! I’d love to!”

“You can… howl?” Bella slowly asks. “But… dragons roar.”

Lupus nods, “I can sort of imitate a howl.” She pulls out a…

“Sister? That’s not your Dragonstone.” Vella points out, as despite the time that’s passed, she distinctly remembers her Dragonstone being a watery-blue.

Another nods, “I didn’t have time to retrieve mine from Krakenburg, so… Bella showed me how to make another one.” She flashes the blue-green gem, “It’s pretty, isn’t it?”

“...I prefer the treasures we collect, but… I suppose it looks nice.” Vella concedes, “Can we howl now?”

A third nod, “Yes, please.” The half-dragon shifts, the Wolfskin shifts. The two rear their heads back and both let out a much needed, incredibly powerful howls.

Oh, it’s great to have Lupus back!

* * *

Seta was in the middle of firing an arrow when she heard it… it was faint, but she can hear it. A sound that was confirmed when she heard that small ‘hiccup’ in the middle of it. Sure, there were two of them, but Seta knows. She dropped her Yumi on the spot and ran towards the first person who would appreciate this information as much as her, Princess Hinoka.

Lupus is free!

* * *

Cold, so cold. She rises and walks around, her close skeletal wyvern friend eyeing her with concern. “O  **xepv**  uav!” She tells herself, trying to force the will out. It’s so… irritating! The need to do something is there, it’s small enough to notice… not enough to actually do something. “O  **xepv**  uav!” She growls as she kicks one of the desks, cracking it almost in half.

The wolf without fur, the partially skinned humans, the stag, and even the red blob that usually sticks to the ceiling redirect their attention to her, but it’s only the wyvern that dares approach her. She  **is**  still a dragon, after all, a being of immense magical potential. Even in her human form. She looks at her sickening purple arms, experimented on, violated, torn, almost soulless… full of revenge. It doesn’t help she can dream again, but her dreams only consist of that half-dragon who stumbled into here, who she almost drained out of desperation.

[ **I want out**!] She screams as she rips opens cabinet doors, yanks tables away and… her eyes snap onto something she hasn’t actually used in the over two decades since she’s been in here. Her Dragonstone, still here, still usable…

Still corrupted. Her normally emerald Dragonstone has dark magic swirling inside in the form of dark ‘rivers’ and ‘blobs’. She looks at her skin again, it’s purple due to the amount of dark magic that was practically pumped into her, all in an effort for that Dark Mage to figure out how to use Wild Magic.

She can’t believe that woman succeeded. Wild Magic is specifically for Dragons! Not Humans! She grabs that Dragonstone, feeling the warmth, the power… the dark magic. [We’re leaving.] She finally says, causing the wyvern to ‘look’ at her. [We’re leaving.] She tells herself, [We’re leaving. While the urge is strong, we’re leaving.] She nods to herself, [To the corners, all of you!] She commands with a surprising amount of authority… for a female. [You wish to see magic? Wild Magic?! I’ll give you exactly what you want…] She shifts, taking on her rather small dragon form, with its sickening purple scales, but it isn’t small necessarily due to her youth, it’s small because she’s attuned to magic.

See, dragons who are better attuned to magic are smaller, with a larger amount of magic contained within a smaller form. Dragons who are better attuned to physical strength are larger, so they can have much better muscles. [While this dragon has the urge, I will hunt you down…] She darkly mutters, before beginning a channel. She taps into her Wild Magic reserves, then even pulls from all of that dark magic coursing through her. She takes a breath, and then causes massive devastation with but a single word, a Wild Magic spell that would put most of the human Mages to shame… [Eruption.] The effect is immediate.

A pool of raw magic forms in the center of the room, and it quickly expands, bubbles… then erupts. Up, around, side to side, out… the magic decimates whatever it touches. Even the wards that the Dark Mage held in place are nothing compared to the magical fury she just unleashed. She does have two decades of pent-up Wild Magic… and whatever dark magic that Dark Mage so thoughtfully provided for her. [Ngh.] However, the magic is so intense that even she wasn’t safe from it. Specks of the Wild Magic spell backfired, causing her to get scorched in several spots, enough to cause an intense burning pain that would last minutes.

A few cries as the magic literally ate away at one of the humans, the stag disintegrates, the blob evaporates. All that’s left around this dragonling are: The dragonling herself, her close wyvern friend, two humans with one being the skinless one, the skeletal wolf…

And a massive crater where the mansion once stood.

The sun shines down and the skinless human cries out in agony, nothing to protect him from the natural elements. He walks up to her, pain in every step… even without a means to talk, he’s asking for one thing. [Be free… ashes.] She raises a paw and blasts the man with a merciful flame, enough to reduce him to cinders. None of her ‘basement buddies’ who died from this actually returned. It seems turning to ash is a permanent death for them. She’s morbidly thankful for that, they’ve suffered enough. So, with a grim expression, she simply asks, [Does anyone else wish for freedom?] The other human and the wolf approach, the wyvern stays to the side. [Be free… ashes.] Once, twice.

All that’s left is her and the wyvern. The skeletal wyvern lets out a grinding roar, [We’re leaving.] She states once more as the undead draconic being takes flight. She follows suit. [I wish to find  **him** , first. I want more purpose…] A short pause, [But, not in the form of his soul, I think… being near him will be enough.] With that, the two fly off, because with her fraction of his soul in her, she can figure out where he is.

Hopefully before  **she**  finds him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah Felicia, the other ‘half’ of the PoV from last chapter, well… not much here, eh folks? A bit of contemplation, some of her desires, before Flora abruptly walks in and drops some pretty hefty… wait a minute! Iago didn’t do jack-all to Flora last chapter! Something isn’t quite right…
> 
> Following up from Reina is Sakura! And ouch, she gets to see her first death… the upbeat and seemingly carefree Kaden. Perhaps if Leo heeded the ‘absurdity’ of the scout’s report, but… that’s in the past, the mistake has been made. And it looks like it caused Selkie to harden some. I mean, can you really blame her? She and Kaden were the last of the hamlet, and now she’s alone. There are still sparks of her energetic self, but right now? She needs some time to grieve. Maybe a trip to Vella?
> 
> Ah, the middle brother, Nalaptijep! It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from him. It looks like a small change is occurring, Mikoto must’ve gotten through to him. He… actually managed to resist the urge for another mass consumption, so… progress! Sure, there’s probably going to be a lot of animal deaths incoming, but at least those deaths aren’t the people of Hoshido.
> 
> From middle brother to eldest sister, Utvseie. One nice departure scene, establishing that she and Mikoto are actually getting along. A future meeting with the brood? Why not? Oh, but… oof. The report came in from the war, and now we got a rather livid half-dragon… and she’s going to fight for Hoshido! I think it’s safe to say Nohr is done. They’ve lost.
> 
> Ooo, speaking of rare viewpoints… Hana! With a moment of bonding with Subaki. I think this is a pretty beautiful piece, and now we can rest easy with Hana finally moving on from the mistakes she’s made. Keep it on, Samurai! You’ll regain that lost honor and then some.
> 
> Vella, Vella, Vella… you finally got it, hm? Lupus is back, she’s found her way to none other than her Wolfskin sister… with Bella in tow. What a glorious and well-needed reunion. *nods* Everything seems to be coming together, and the two share in a wonderful, stress-relieving howl, which…
> 
> Is loud enough for Seta to pick up on. Welp, looks like the news will be spread in no time. Lupus is back! Oh yeah, and with a new Dragonstone.
> 
> Last up is… the dragonling? So, what do we have… *steps back* Oh dear… I thought Utvseie was angry, but she’s got nothing on this dragon. She’s gathered enough will to do what she’s been wanting for… hold on. Two decades?! How old is that Dark Mage? The dragonling has been stuck down there for over twenty years, and ouch… we get a bit of insight of what happened. She’s been pumped full of Dark Eco as part of the experi...
> 
> Oh wait, wrong game. Erm… she’s been pumped full of Dark Magic as part of the experiments, but now it seems she’s using that very magic to fuel her escape. And, *whistles* damn… that is one hell of a spell. She decimated the entire mansion in one go, but… she did end up turning a few of the others into ashes, but… maybe that was for the best? They were all trapped in there, nothing but fodder for experiments, and besides… some of them even chose to want to be turned to ashes. So, that means there is a way to kill them. Perhaps she knew that? Anyway, that leaves only the dragonling and her ‘close wyvern friend’, so oh… those two have some sort of history. Anyway…
> 
> Add another tick against Nohr, because now there’s an angry dragon with the magical potential to level large buildings heading their way.


	72. King No(hr) more

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *ahem* Shall we assault the castle, milord? Finish off the war? Get around to tying up the rest of the plot threads?
> 
> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako.
> 
> Silky refers to Lupus = Lu-pu.
> 
> Qsoeqat = Quacker. Belladonna = Bella or Cimmefuppe = Kim.

 

The momentum that was provided from all of the previous battles, all of those who defected from Nohr ended up far out-shining the damage done by the skeletal dragon. Even Selkie and Kagero, who have undoubtedly were struck the hardest by Kaden’s death, turned that grief into fuel for a fire, a fire that will rage through the last line of Nohrian defenses and into Castle Krakenburg. The plan of attack was simple, as Hoshido’s army is exceptionally massive, on top of the already numerous amounts of prodigies sprinkled throughout the different sections.

…

But, even then… something felt off. Yes, Ryoma was expecting Hoshido to practically crush the remaining resistance, but it still felt ‘too easy’. Was it wrong to be suspicious? Has there even been such a one-sided conflict? He can’t help but think that there is going to be an absolute terror of a defense at the last stretch. Besides, there is also the glaring issue of how… tactless the Nohrians are right now, almost like their tactician was already taken out.

But, if so… then how? Perhaps there is so much chaos inside the castle that even Lupus could break free and…? No, that couldn’t be it. Lupus is with the Wolfskin’s group, which are being accompanied by Selkie… and a woman that is supposedly Lupus’s sister. Ryoma shakes his head as the army seamlessly pushes from city, to the downward spiral, and into the castle itself. “Main forces, to the throne room! I want a large number spread out in equal squads to clear out the rest of the castle! The remainder will be guards around the outside of the castle!  **Move** !”

It felt strange, having the luxury of numbers to call such an order. They can spare to have their flying units as scouts in the city, soldiers marching around the pathways around the castle, forces to take alternate routes in the castle, and still have over a platoon’s worth of soldiers force their way into the throne room.”

* * *

“Tetvis?” Cimmefuppe forces her voice just a bit louder. “Yepfis…”

Ztisepzy looks between Vella, Keaty, Dadaan, and back to Cimmefuppe. [I’m sorry, but I doubt he’ll live through this.] She replies in Draconic. [Sister, he led an attack that killed almost everyone in the pack. Keaty, Vella, Dadaan, and Hina lived. I was taken.] She clears her throat, slows down, then pulls her into a hug, [I hate killing, but… Bella, face it. I’m not going to want to spare him. Him, Iago, Garon, and Nycas… I…] Her voice cracks, [I  **want**  them dead.]

She slowly nods, [I… understand.] The two break the embrace and catch up to the rest of the beastfolk. [I… like her scent. Vella.] A small smile forms.

Ztisepzy giggles, “Hey, Vella?”

“Yes, sister?”

“Bella likes your scent.” Vella looks back and flashes a fanged smile.

“Your scent is… off-putting.” The smile fades. “I feel like if I sniff too much, I’ll get sick.”

“Body… makes toxins. Can’t… help it.” She mutters.

“Her body naturally makes toxins, so that’s what you are probably smelling.” Her sister supplies.

“You didn’t mention that earlier.” Vella points out.

The youngest sister of the brood clears her throat, [Didn’t have time to mention… everything yet.]  She is still not that comfortable with the human tongue.

“Sister, we have time to go over all of it later, right now we need to be ready.” Ztisepzy states.

“For what? These empty halls?” Vella snarls, more aggravated at the lack of things to kill, it seems.

“Velouria, quiet.” Keaty steps in. “Talk  **after**  we’re finished.”

[Kea…] She pauses, “Keaty?”

“Keaty, Bella wants you.” Her sister speaks up for her… just like Utvseie always would.

“Hm? Yeah?” His ears perk, but otherwise he doesn’t show any indication of listening.

“Thank you… raising sister.”

“She wants to thank you for raising me.”

He scoffs, “I didn’t ‘raise’ her, I grew up with her.” A pause.

“ **We**  grew up with her. We raised each other.” Dadaan speaks up.

“You get what I meant.”

* * *

Silky huffs as Quacker, once again, ignores her. She’s poked him, prodded him, even licked him. It’s like… he doesn’t care. “Hey, Quacker!” She presses. “We’re still having that mating session, right?” Silence. “Quacker!”

“Quiet.” He growls…

But she isn’t even slightly deterred, “Listen you. I’m getting reaaalllly tired of how you were all dominant and strong and really desirable as an alpha, but now you’re all quiet and just…  **ugh** !” Another silence. “Quacker!” She pushes the half-dragon towards the wall, fangs showing and an angry expression on her face. Her Beast **stone**  glows a bit in response to her anger.

“Leave me be.” A really-dark black color starts to fill his eyes, something Silky has never seen before…

“Huh? What’s wrong with your eyes?” Anger gives way to concern.

Quacker looks away, almost like he’s focusing on something else. “We should probably move faster. The quicker this is over, the better.” He even speeds up some…

“Selkie?” Leo strides up to her.

“Yes?” Silky’s managed to drop most of the hostility towards him, no use wasting energy on the past. Yes, she’ll grieve, but right now? There’s a far better use for her energy.

“He’s missing a portion of his soul.”

She tilts her head, “His what?”

“Soul.”

“What’s that?”

“While there is no definitive explanation on what a soul actually is, it seems as if…”

“Hey! You’re supposed to be the super-smart guy!” She huffs.

And in that moment, Leo’s expression turns deadly serious, “There are not many recordings on souls because this it is part of a magic so forbidden, so inhumane, that any attempt of practicing it will label the person with ‘death on sight’. To even gather the audacity to joke about practicing or pursuing Soul Magic is to be immediately disowned and imprisoned, the person’s house will be searched from top to bottom, and if  **any**  evidence is found… death is all but certain.”

“Then… how do you know about it in the first place?”

“We are taught to avoid it, the horrors it can bring.” He simply replies. “Humans aren’t born with as many instincts as the beastfolk. We need to be taught… in this case, ignorance is  **not**  bliss.”

Silky nods, “Mind if I ask you a question?”

“If I can answer it, I will.”

“So… what does ‘un human’, ‘awdaceety’, and ‘igonorance’ mean?”

He blinks his eyes, “Inhumane, audacity, and ignorance?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said.” She points out.

“No, you…” He sighs, “Alright, well… I’m glad you’re wanting to learn. So, starting off with inhumane…”

* * *

If Kagero were in almost any other position, she might’ve pulled off the ‘grieving’ card and avoid this battle entirely. The relative silence is deafening, it hurts to simply walk and wait for the next fight. She is almost wishing for more resistance, if only to focus on something else.

He’s gone.

As well-taught she is with her Ninja training, it seems that it wasn’t enough to cover up emotions that are linked with someone who you are ready to spend the rest of your life with. A relationship that started with ‘just napping’ under a tree. A man… a Kitsune that she could so easily let her guard down around, to be treated as a woman, even if he didn’t really know how.

She never knew the amount of stress that was in her body until he started treating her… the dam of emotions that had been built up behind a seemingly emotionless face and a strict code of training.

Kagero slowly reaches up inside of her outfit, onto her new necklace with a clasp, and inside that clasp is the very Beast...rune that technically belonged to Kaden. With how Kagero understands it, Kaden traded his Beaststone for a Beastrune after defeating a Kitsune alpha a day or so before the raid on the Nohrian Outpost that Kagero, Subaki, Hana, and Lady Sakura were held in. Kaden then traded his Beastrune with Selkie for her Beaststone, since Kaden can… could achieve Nine-tails on his own. And now Selkie is back to being ‘just a Kitsune’. She said she that if she’s going to get the Nine-tails form, it’ll be with a Beaststone, on her own.

All in all, Selkie is back to her Beaststone and Kagero has a necklace with Kaden’s Beastrune in it. One piece of bitter irony is that Keaty gifted the previous alpha’s Beaststone to Princess Hinoka, a whole and perfect ruby. Kagero looks down at the Beastrune, a vivid orange amber with a number of chips and cracks, giving it a more rugged and almost vicious look. “Kaden…” She whispers.

“Hey, Kagero.” As if picking up on her thoughts, Selkie walks up to her.

“Selkie.” She tried, she really tried to hide her emotions again, but then she saw how hurt Selkie was, and how similar the two looked… she faltered and the mask fell.

“C’mere.” She extends an arm, “I know I’m not Ka-da, but…” The two slow to a halt, Kagero looks her over. “It’ll help. ‘The best way through the sad times is to go through them.’ Y’know, that’s Ka-da told me…” Her voice drops, “This was after our alpha was killed and Ka-da became the next hamlet leader. He had to be strong, but I didn’t have that same obligation as a female. So… one night, we were alone in his den, and he told me that. He held onto me all night long, just telling me to let it all out… even onto his fur.” That’s… actually saying a lot, considering how much Kaden prized his fur, “He could always just brush and clean himself later, he just wanted me to… well, be me again.” She smiles, though it’s ridden with sorrow, “And I remembered that last night, I stopped being angry, walked around the center of camp, and I just cried. I wasn’t ashamed, I had to let it out…” Her arms remain open the whole time.

“Selkie… we’re about to…” She tried to reason that she can’t.

“One minute.” Her voice becomes firmer. “Kagero, just one minute, it’ll make a huge difference.” Without waiting for a response, she moves closer and pulls Kagero in. “One minute, the world is just you and me and letting go of all the sad feelings. One minute, just cry into the arms of another. One minute and…” Selkie pauses as Kagero’s voice finally cracks and her body starts shaking a bit, “Just you and me…” Selkie chokes on a sob, making it clear that she hasn’t finished her grieving just yet.

And that’s exactly what happened. Kagero let the emotions roll out for an entire minute, maybe a bit longer… she was confident that Selkie kept a better handle on time, because once the hug ended, Kagero did in fact, feel better than she was. The ‘need’ for revenge was dialed back, her ‘need’ for a fight to focus on almost faded. “Th-thank you, Selkie.” A smile.

She smiles, too, “Anytime!” Then, to Kagero’s surprise, her smile turns vicious, “Now, let’s get this stupid war over with! I wanna start playing again!” The two resume walking, “Oh! You wanna play tag after?”

Kagero was about to immediately answer with the general reason of ‘I’m a retainer and I have my duties’, but… “I’ll ask Lord Ryoma for some time, then.”

“Oh, Red?” She sighs, but it’s good-humored, “Fine, I suppose I can wait for that…” And now her smile is the more playful oriented one that Selkie is known for, “And if he says no… then I guess I’m dragging him along to play with us! Ooo ooo, and Vella and Lu-pu, maybe I can even get Seta and Hina… y’know what?! I’ll just invite  **everyone** !” She giggles, “Oh, can you imagine that?! A huuuuuge open field, full with a crisp and cold wind, surrounded by all of these people and  **playing**  with all of them! It’ll be super fun and…” Selkie continues to ramble…

And Kagero finds a unique comfort in the way her passion for fun spills out. The only other who feels that way about Selkie’s rambles would be Vella.

* * *

All of the conversations died out as the throne room doors came into view. The hallways have been strangely silent, something that sets off almost every instinct Lupus has. There  **has**  to be some sort of commotion to ‘feel safe’ as complete silence is wrong. Birds will always chirp, leaves fall, nature will continue no matter what, so if the forest animals are silenced, then something scared them off. That is a detail that showed off A Lord Leo’s and A Lady Camilla’s hand too early. Poachers can block their scent, cover their traps, and be as silent as they can, but an issue that can’t disguise is when nature itself is disturbed.

A single disturbed flock of birds can alert dozens of miles worth of territory, a sign that something’s off in that area. An area abandoned of squirrels and other small creatures is a sign that something terrifying is around. All of this isn’t even getting into displaced leaves or any trick that poachers know to exploit. “Sister?” Red asks as she places her hand on the throne room door.

“...silence.” Lupus replies. “I don’t hear anything.”

“There has to be someone in there, right?” Red points out, “We literally have enough troops to have at least two for every door from here to Windmire. Both Prince Leo and Princess Elise made sure that we know about every last escape route, so there are patrols in every one of those. The only true way out would be a Warp spell. Besides… abandoning the throne would translate to forfeit.”

“And a Warp spell would be easily detected.” A Lord Leo adds. “Erm, I should say… the use of a Warp spell is easy to decipher,  **where**  it goes is another question.” He nods, “But, you are correct High Prince Ryoma… and I must admit, my little sister does know every single escape route due to her… unsanctioned ventures.” Which is why A Lady Elise is leading that particular group.

“Then let us finish this! For the glory of Hoshido!” Red disregards the ‘normal door opening’ method in favor of slamming his foot against it so hard that it almost is knocked off of its hinges. A true feat in itself, considering how strong the metals are on this door… Lupus, Red, Keaty, and A Lord Leo enter the room first...

Then A Lord Leo mutters a swear as a pulse of magic rushes ‘past’ them. The somewhat broken door is now replaced with a barrier. “Odin!” He immediately shouts, “Work with…” Whatever else he had to say fell to background noise as Lupus took note of the scene around them. For the King’s area, it was strangely… empty.

A dozen guards spread throughout, King Garon on the throne and… A Lord Casander? King Garon rises from his throne and does the exact thing any person would do in this situation… he starts up a bellowing laugh, “Perfect! Yes, her magic worked out perfectly!” Her?

“King Garon…” A Lord Leo regards after he ordered whatever he ordered.

“Traitor.” He spits out, “You turned your back on Nohr.”

“You are running Nohr into the ground. It has been slowly dying.” He counters. A Lord Casander remains silent, standing at attention near the stairs of the throne. “Brother, if I can still call you that… can’t you see what he’s doing?!”

“Silence.” Is the only response he gets.

“Lupus?” Keaty mutters while gripping his Beastrune, his tail… still? Ears somewhat down? “Something isn’t right with them.”

Is… is he scared? “Brother?”

“Those guards, they look… ‘feel’ familiar.” He grips his Beastrune tighter.

“Focus!” Red harshly whispers. “King Garon! Today is the day that this war will end!”

He simply laughs… and sits back down, “Yes, it will… pray to your precious Dawn Dragon that you die by my forces, or else…” A smile forms, “You’ll be experiencing hell for at least a week.” Huh? “Make sure  **she**  remains alive…” He lowers his voice, eyes shortly snapping over to Lupus.

Keaty shifts, then he and Red ready themselves. A Lord Leo remains by the barrier, seeming to work a hole open. Lupus forms her lance and shield… as long as A Lord Casander doesn’t target her, she can defend. “Keep me defended, and I can bring more in!” A Lord Leo informs them. “This magic…” He mutters.

“Sister, be his guard, we’ll hold them off until we can gather enough to push forward!” Red orders as he lowers his stance, then grips the hilt of his blade, still sheathed. “ **For the glory of Hoshido** !” And in a move that Lupus has never seen before, unsheathes the blade while making an arcing slash… which sends out an electrical shockwave. The soldier it was ‘aimed for’ stands there, fear? Regardless, the undeniably powerful attack connects and he falls in half. By the time the rest of the soldiers, except A Lord Casander as he remains still for whatever reason, start charging…

Keaty  **whimpers** , “Oh no… Red? I recognize that… ‘taint’ now.”

“Not now! We need to…”

“ **Listen to me** !” He roars back as he slams a soldier back so hard that the man cracks in half, “Same magic…  **they won’t die** !” Huh?

Red slices one in half as if he just slashed at a sheet of paper. “Focus… there is obviously a Dark Mage that is…” The words die on his tongue as that first soldier, the one that was literally sliced in half… Stands back up, his upper half grossly just… floating back and ‘connecting’ into its original spot. The one that Keaty snapped just pulls itself together. The second one that Red sliced in half does the same as the first. They charge again, like they just entered the fight. Except that this time…

A Lord Casander rushes in, too. Red, noticing this, cuts down that same soldier, and meets Xander head on. Clash, cling. Casander strikes once, only for the Rajinto to stop the attack. However, Lupus notes that Red’s arms tremble under the force. “A healer… mage?” Leo asks. “Lady Sakura.” No more than a few seconds after, a semi-visible boar sorta… flies through, slamming into one of the soldiers.

“I’m ready!” The youngest Hoshidan Princess exclaims.

“Odin, double your efforts! We need more!” A glance back shows that the barrier has closed again, A Lord Leo is sweating pretty badly, and even Odin is trembling. “Damn this magic…”

Lupus stabs at an incoming soldier, making a direct hit, but to her surprise, he continues as if he was just brushed by some gentle breeze. Lupus raises her shield to avoid getting slashed in a more vulnerable spot. “Ngh!” She gasps as a different soldier closes in on her side. What kind of metal is this?! It looks like regular steel! The wound closes almost immediately and Lupus follows up by kicking the soldier away, switching lance for maw, and snapping his sword.

“Gods…” Red is being pushed back.

For someone who has been in a state of ‘coma’ for several days, A Lord Casander seems to be on a completely different level when compared to Red. Keaty grabs two soldiers, cracks their spines with his Wolfsegger hands alone, before slamming them into the ground… and proceeding to stomp on them. He’s… he’s legitimately afraid of them. Since when did he fight these type of soldiers before?

The earliest wave of soldiers that ‘died’ have risen once more. Their armor may have broken and shattered, but they seem unbothered as they rush in for another round. Keaty yelps as the supposed bloodstains starts slicing into the bottom of his paws. He moves backward and… and… The blood from those two soldiers just clump up into one big red blob, which is sizzling the floor around it. No wait… so Keaty wasn’t ‘cut’, he was ‘burned’. This blob oozes forward, leaving a trail of smoke from the carpet being ‘burned’. “Get this… away from me!” Keaty moves around it, trying to go for another soldier.

“The amalgamation is slower!” A Lord Leo exclaims, “Just lead it on, Wolfskin, and fight off the other soldiers!” However, in spite of this ‘warning’, the red blob immediately changes course and starts oozing towards Red, instead, who is locked in his duel with Casander… and losing. “Gods… Odin! Get in here! Start debilitating them!”

“On your command, great Lord of Darkness!” Odin runs in, “Face the might of… Odin Dark! Feel the drag of my… Shackled Muscles!” Within seconds the soldiers are moving around slower, their attacks seem to have more weight to them, causing them to stumble after every swing. But, that doesn’t make them ‘stay dead’, as they keep rising up anyway… on top of the curse being ‘lost’ every time they ‘die’.

“Bah! This is taking too long!  **Kill them** !” King Garon rises, axe in hand and… he chugs down some liquid from a vial. The next thing that happens causes the group to still in surprise… Garon brings the axe down in front of him, hits the floor, and causes a tremor that forms a crack forward several dozen feet.

A  **human**  just did that.

Garon charges. Red, who was taken off-guard by that display of raw power, gets struck by Casander’s sword, enough to carve straight through his armor as if it were nothing. Blood pours freely, though the wound is closed shortly after. “Second squad!” Casander orders.

Wait, there’s another?! Where?

From the sides of the room, a few archers literally rise up from the ground. “Dark Mages!” Odin calls out. “Necromancy!” Necro-what?

“They must be the source of undeath… kill them!” A Lord Leo advises, before he lets out a groan, “...damn this barrier, that magic, and the morals…” He ceases to work on the barrier and instead rounds on the nearest soldier. “Lupus, focus on them…” He states.

“Okay?” Still, she heeds his words and decides to try something she’s only used a few times. She forms her maw again, and focuses on that watery-energy that got her out of her cell that one time… she aims it at the slower-moving blob, which literally hasn’t even reached Red yet. The ball forms, it is sent out towards the blob, and just like those soldiers and the iron bars… it starts dissolving.

It worked!

The red blob slowly fades out, and that seems to be the end of it. So, they need to destroy every last bit? Lupus nods to herself, forms that ball again and… nothing. She cries out in pain as her maw pulses that same red and she shifts it back… “Saku? Saku!” It burns, it burns! Healing magic washes over that arm, but now it feels completely numb.

She raises her shield to block an incoming attack, but that’s all she can really do now. It’s either a shield or a weapon, and her body is feeling a bit sluggish after that last attack.

“In the name of Nohr…” Casander states as he kicks Red with enough force to crack his armor. Garon follows up and… and… well, Red raises the Rajinto to block. A shattering sound follows.

His special katana snaps. The sheer shock from that alone delayed Red to receive a deadly slash from Casander. “ **Brother** !” Saku screams, quickly summoning another wave of magic… only for her to let out an even higher-pitched scream. Saku falls.

“Magebane…” Leo scowls. “I’ve had it…” Lupus isn’t too sure where he got the magic from, but a single gesture, a few words, and the barrier that was causing him so much trouble just… shatters. Actually, to be frank, that soldier he was pursuing isn’t anywhere to be seen. “Ryoma! Fall back!” He starts ordering, “I want…”

“Milord!” Odin intercepts another arrow that has been… fired from on high? Lupus looks slightly up to see one of the archers seemingly to  **stand**  on one of the pillars. Odin lets out a pained yell, must be more ‘Magebane’.

“I got him!” Selkie runs  **away**  from the side of the room that the archer is on, before towards… and away, gaining speed. On the third lap, she jumps straight for the pillar and runs straight up. Seconds later she slams into the wall-walking archer, rips her teeth into him, then proceeds to drag him down in her mouth, and slamming him into the ground. Unlike the other soldiers, however, when this one cracks and dies… he stays dead.

More people start getting in, easily bringing down the undead soldiers, sniping that other archer… but Garon and Casander remain untouched. No, un **harmed** , they literally shrug off every attack… metal and magic just seem to bounce off of them. Every hit they receive is return with enough force to shatter even the ‘Brave’ weapons.

How are they that strong?!

Without anyone seeming to be a real threat, Casander pushes through the waves, right towards Lupus. That’s when she noticed… his eyes have a layer of purple behind them… like what Hina said her eyes were when she was controlled to stab Saku. Casander remains unbothered as he raises his sword, not even the incoming slam from Dadaan did any effect. Lupus dodges, shield to lance. [Leave… sister…] Bella steps up, the ‘Yato’ drenched in her natural toxins. Perhaps she was expecting a repeat performance? [Envenom… disperse.]

Unlike last time, Casander didn’t hesitate as he brought his sword down. [Belladonna!] Quacker follows up in his dragon form.

“Focus!” Someone shouts as Quacker is soon struck by Garon’s axe.

“They’re focusing on us!” Lupus calls out, before it ‘clicks’. Garon stated to have her alive, this Dark Magic, the control, undeath, small pulses of a familiar magic, Wild Magic. A ‘week of hell’...

[Soldiers are like… them.] Quacker spits out some blood, heavily wounded from just a single hit, [Same magic, different place…]

“In the name of the ancient dragons…” A familiar voice speaks up, Azura walks in. “The Draconic House, the pact made so long ago…” Paradoxically to her relatively thin frame, she walks in with a  **battleaxe** . “The crimes against my house has been made clear, rules long established have been broken.” And she looks anything but peaceful. “King Garon, I will be your opponent.” Her pendant glows. “You wish to tamper with dragons? Use their power for your own? Then allow me to show you how it’s done…”

“Ah-ha!” He simply laughs, “You? Against me? I’ll walk over your corpse and feed it to your precious wyverns!” He raises his arms, “I’ve been gifted strength beyond any rational thought! Stamina that never ends! My only regret is not allowing her full access sooner!” There it is... ‘her’.

“You willingly broke…”

“Forget the pact!” He scowls, “I’m stronger than any dragon could hope to be! You will no longer fear me into the ‘wrath of the dragons!’  **I am their master now** !” He walks up to her, still unfazed by the attacks on him.

Yet, throughout this, she remains calm. “Then… your power is enough to level a castle in a single spell? Are you capable of living thousands of years? Flight? Access to Wild Magic? No… you aren’t. You’ve received enhancements that are explicitly forbidden by my House’s laws… laws that  **everyone**  on this world follows. We may be founded in Nohr, we may only be nobles in Nohr, but these rules are absolute.” She readies herself, “Nohr is where it is because of my House. Now… I will take back what you stole, even if it means your death.”

“You would dare…?! I will have your House erased off the map!” He roars.

“...If you win.” Garon brings his axe down, she dodges with a fluidity that defies the huge axe in her hands. She strikes back just as quickly… it connects, and it actually bites into him.

“Wh-what?!”

“I know everything there is to know about dragons. I know the spells to counter every last enchantment. Your defense, your offense is nothing to me.”

“X-Xander!” Garon yells as Azura makes another deep cut into him.

[Empower, disenchantment… spread.] Azura’s pendant glows brighter for a few moments, “I share my techniques with all, in the name of the Draconic House…  **strike them down** !” The next few moments were quick and brutal. Every attack that seemed to do nothing before was now cleaving into Garon and Casander. Garon, who had already suffered several major hits from Azura, soon fell… it didn’t take much for Casander to follow suit.

In short, those last few moments was how this entire battle should have been in the first place.

“G-gods…” Casander breathes as he shakes his head. “Where?” The purple in his eyes fade. “What?”

“Xander.” Leo regards.

“Brother? When did you…?”

“Mind control… of course.” Leo scoffs, “I need to know right now…  **who**  did you see last? What were the last words you heard? Scents? Anything?!”

He furrows his brows, “Kim. She… she poisoned me, I fell unconscious and… I remember hearing a youthful woman.”

“What did she say?” Leo hands him a Concoction.

“I… don’t know. I couldn’t understand her.” Blood pours out. “And now I’m here.” He drinks it and… nothing. “What?”

“She must have also put a hex on you… Xander. Brother… she wanted you dead.” Leo rises, “Damn it! This was a distraction!”

“How can you tell?” Lupus isn’t too sure who asked that.

“Undead or not, there are still many other soldiers here.” A pause, before he rounds on Garon, “Where’s Iago?!”

“...and my retainers?” Casander asks. “Charlotte… Benny.”

“She swore that…” Garon coughs. “Doesn’t matter. Too late.” No laughter, no sign of caring.

“Dark Mage.” Quacker mutters as he slowly moves over to Garon, before holding his face. “Darkness, pure black. Like her.” He then goes over to Casander, “Darkness, some black. Like me…” He rises. “We need to find her.” He looks around, then right at Leo… no, he  **glares**  at him. “You said… liar.” He growls.

“We’d be dead if I didn’t.” He coldly responds. “It took one to make it, it takes one to destroy it.” What is ‘it’?

“ **You** …  **said** .” Huh? “Typical janep, anything to… rise higher.” Quacker breathes in… then sits down. “Weak…”

“Let’s get everyone healed up! And… Lady Azura?” The Matriarch walks over to Garon.

“Don’t bother with him.” She darkly replies, “Garon has been judged by my House.”

“He’s the King.” Leo states, “He will need…”

“There are dire consequences for breaking the most sensitive of rules in  **my**  house. Exceptions forged so long ago, even the King isn’t excused from.” A pause, “Lord Leo? Please, watch your footing… lest you fall down the same path.” For whatever reason, her expression grows hostile, “Tuam-ievis.”

Leo seems to form a disconnect after that, “Then have Xander…”

“We don’t listen to you.” Keaty growls. “He killed  **my**  pack. I will have his blood for it.”

His eyebrow twitches, “Order still needs to be followed! We can’t just execute for every…” He silences as Vella looms over him.

“Silence, human. Your only saving grace is that Saku loves you… because if she didn’t… I’d break you, for hurting Saku, for hurting Lupus.” She moves over to Casander.

Lupus, with her one arm still numb, looks over the room. Things still weren’t completely adding up. She resolved to ask Keaty about his fear of those soldiers… and what Leo did to earn such immediate hatred from Azura. She tilts her head as she recalls the soldier that Leo was pursuing, how easily he destroyed that barrier, and what Azura said to him in Draconic…

‘Soul-eater’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, well… I don’t have much to say. The battle didn’t seem so one-sided, now did it? Garon and Xander were on almost god-like levels, and they had a squad of soldiers that wouldn’t die. Add onto that the red blob, like from what Quacker saw, the pure black in Garon’s and Xander’s eyes, more talk on souls, Draconic enhancements, a ‘her’ that is a Dark Mage. Then there are the other equally strange details… Xander was being mind-controlled, Charlotte and Benny are missing, maybe a number of more Royal Guards. And hold on, where were Felicia and Flora? Well, we do know that Iago is a pile of ashes thanks to Nyx.
> 
> There’s also the really dark point that Azura called Leo a Soul-Eater, so, did he…? I mean, he seemingly drew the magic from nowhere to shatter that barrier. Oh! Speaking of Azura! I think she had a pretty killer scene. So, whaddya think? Her wielding a battle-axe? Oh yeah… Sakura should be developing a resistance to Magebane at this point, and Odin got his first dose.
> 
> Erm, anyway… this is probably the last time I’m ever doing a fight scene with so many potential units. I mean, geez… I thought that dinner scene in ‘Confined’ had a lot of people… Well, at the very least the war is over, right? I mean, Garon is done and is probably to be get roasted by some sort of ‘Dragon Executor’. Xander is going to be… fed to the wolves! (HA!) Oof, alright… depending on who gets the ‘honor’, Xander could go anywhere between beaten up until death, of getting the mercy of a quick kill… or maybe Bella could get Lupus for a different form of retribution?
> 
> Oh yeah, and there’s the bit of Leo suddenly earning several people’s ire… why? I mean, I suppose I can understand Vella, since she’s really sensitive to topics concerning Lupus and Xander did almost kill every single one of the pack and Lupus, but… Azura? Qsoeqat?
> 
> Lemma end off with the much more ‘fluffy’ stuff. So, that scene between Selkie and Kagero? How adorable! Selkie offers some much needed comfort to Kagero, we get to learn that Selkie has her old Beaststone back and gave Kagero the Beastrune that Kaden originally had… and one promise of playtime!
> 
> Welp, that should be the last battle, right? Well… I’ll see y’all next chapter! ;)


	73. Love, Affection, and Ominous Fortunes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I had a bit of a doozy starting this chapter off. I mean, I know what I want to cover, and I know what I’m aiming for, it’s just… bleh.
> 
> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako.
> 
> Silky refers to Lupus = Lu-pu. Utvseie = Feisty.
> 
> Qsoeqat = Quacker. Belladonna = Bella or Cimmefuppe = Kim.

 

Orochi looks onto her liege with a concerned eye, as Queen Mikoto hasn’t been exactly stationary. Well, it a chunk of the blame can actually be placed onto the Diviner herself, but it’s not like she can choose what she foresees! Besides, since the fortune in question directly concerned the well-being of her family, then she had to tell her.

...Granted, Orochi couldn’t tell which of the  **six**  half-dragons was the one in a lethal situation, but she isn’t going to take chances. Since, according to the eldest sister of the brood, there are very little physical differences between all of them. Only the eldest sister has one brown eye, and only the youngest sister isn’t as ‘developed’... and if the brothers had the same personality, then they could be completely interchangeable.

Draconic blood and traits must run incredibly strong, then.

“I think I have everything…” Mikoto states as she carries a small pack, her Yumi… and that one vial of Magebane toxin. “You told me Nohr, correct?”

Orochi twirls her hair, but it’s more out of trying to calm her nerves, “The skies above were gray and the sunlight was little, yet there was no rain to be seen… I believe the location is in Nohr.” While her fortunes are never wrong, the only problem is figuring out what is actually happening. “The person in question has long, white hair and red eyes, and the one causing the harm seemed young with long, black hair.”

She nods, “Which would be one of the brood, but the second…?” She pauses for a moment, then shakes her head, “Regardless, I need to leave now. I already sent a messenger out to allow one of my children to pass judgement for any war crimes in my stead.” She looks herself over once more.

“Your highness…” Kaze enters, “Everything else is prepared… and the war has ended.”

“Good, then I can…”

“I’m afraid the victory wasn’t so simple, milady.” He calmly cuts her off, which means the news is dire… again.

“Go ahead, Kaze.” Her liege recognizes the intensity behind his tone.

“Unspeakable magics were being used to aid King Garon, Crown Prince Xander, and the half-dozen soldiers. The soldiers, for the majority of the battle, were unable to be killed.”

“What?! I don’t understand.”

“Their bodies would persist through wounds that would kill anyone else. Even…” He clears his throat, “Keaton displayed aspects of fear against them, and he pulverized two of them to the point where they weren’t much more than bloodstains… yet even then they rose again, this time as their pools of blood joining to become a single blob.”

“What kind of… gods.” Mikoto recoils at the thought, and Orochi fights back the urge to gag.

“King Garon and Crown Prince Xander, for most of the battle, were unable to be harmed at all. No weapon seemed to be able to slice through their skin and their strength rivaled Keaton’s Wolfsegger form. It wasn’t until Lady Azura arrived and used some sort of counter-spell that they were able to be bested…” He takes a breath, “After King Garon sliced the Rajinto into two.” Silence follows that last statement.

The Divine Weapon, Rajinto… broken? Orochi shakes her head, “Then, Lady Azura knows of the magic?”

“Only what was used to empower Garon and Xander, nothing of the soldiers. According to her, Garon and Xander had a spell casted on them, with the reagents being a dragon scale and a dragon claw, which provided defense and strength respectively.” He levels a look at Mikoto, “Also according to Lady Azura, those types of enchantments are in direct violation of ancient laws formed by the pact that her House has made with the ancient dragons, which in turn allows her to have complete rule over the fate of the person or people in question.” A short pause, “However… Xander’s fate is to be handled by the remainder of the pack that Lupus lives with.”

Then… it’s safe to say that both of them are dead. “I see…”

“There are a few more peculiar details.” Kaze continues. “One is that Xander was actually under a mind-control spell, shown by Dark Magic that was behind his eyes. The second is… multiple cases of missing persons. Iago, the King’s Tactician. Benny and Charlotte, Xander’s recently picked retainers. Felicia and Flora, the twin daughters of the Ice Tribe Chieftain. Lastly is Silas, a Paladin that holds naught but good intentions. All of them were not seen during or after the war by anyone.”

“How strange…” Orochi comments as she fans out her cards, “Perhaps I can attempt to discern where they are?”

“Thank you, Kaze. Has… the eldest sister made it to the army?”

“There are three of them in the army… one is Lupus. The second is the youngest sister, Bella. The third is the youngest brother… ‘Quacker’.” Despite being in the middle of scrying, Orochi couldn’t help but crack a smile at that name, “None of the others have been spotted yet. Thankfully however, there have also been no other reported village deaths.”

“Good… perhaps I managed to get through to him, then.” Mikoto smiles. “Is there anything else?”

“No, your Highness.”

“Ah-ha! Maybe not from standard reports…” Orochi hums, “Ah!” She recoils from a sudden surge of magic.

“Orochi?!” Her liege quickly moves over to her as she almost stumbles down.

“Counter-magic…” She mutters as she shakes her head, “Really powerful magic, too. I mean… all magic. That’s… one way to raise someone’s resistance, just placing a huge ward on them…” She takes a breath as she stands firm once more, “Screams, a loud roar…” She pauses as she licks her lips, “Bones?” Her face pales, “Milady? It’s the same area, I saw the half-dragon and that black-hair woman again.”

Mikoto bites her lip, “I need to leave now, then. Once this place is located, I’ll round up some of the army for this place.” She nods to herself, “The sooner the better…” Without missing a beat, she starts up walking again.

Oh dear…

* * *

Keaton tosses Xander onto the ground, with the only thing he has on is some ragged set of clothes. The man groans as he awakens. Keaton glares at him, fangs showing. “Human…” He growls as his fur bristles.

“Wolfskin.” He regards.

“You lead the charge to get  **my**  pack killed. Stand.”

“I…” Xander starts.

“You’re listening to me. Stand…”

He does so, “And what is your plan, exactly?” They are the only two out here. Windmire can be easily seen, but other than that? An open plain.

“Fight me.”

“Unarmed?”

“You had a poisoned blade against my sister, Lupus.” He points out, “You apparently spoke of an ‘honorable’ death. Heh… show’s what good a human’s word is.” Keaton lowers his stance, still unshifted. “I will make sure that I crack and break as much as I can before killing you off, human.”

“Then I’m surprised you allowed me to wake up.”

“I want to see you struggle.” He plainly replies as he closes the distance… then proceeds to kick the man with enough force to crack several ribs. “So… struggle.”

Xander gasps, but manages to find the will to throw a punch, only for Keaton to catch it, “Ngh…” before beginning to tighten his grip so much that the bones start caving in, Xander kneed Keaton, but there seemed to be no effect.

“Pathetic.” Keaton spits out as he twists Xander’s fist enough to snap his wrist to where he loses all feeling in it. “Ryoma can hit me harder than you can, and he focuses more on speed.” The Wolfskin kicks Xander again, and the man spits up blood. “ **Fight me** !”

“You… beast!” Xander shouts as he charges, only for Keaton to completely stop him with a single hand.

“Beast? That’s pretty bold of you to claim…” He slams a fist into the Nohrian’s gut, then proceeds to lift him up and plant him on the ground, “But, that’s what you humans always refer to us, don’t you? Never more than ‘just a beast’... yet. We’re stronger, faster, and we even have the capability of outsmarting you… it doesn’t take us over ten years to have our offspring ready to fight back. Your kind is built around the laziness you can have from excessive resources!” Keaton stamps on his chest, muscles tear and bones crack… but he makes sure to avoid the vitals. “You. Killed. My. Pack!” One, two, three, four… Xander has been somewhat indented into the ground. He picks him up again, but this time his hand rips straight into the other’s chest to get a sturdy grip. “Weak…” Keaton throws the man aside, then his Beastrune glows as he takes his Wolfsegger form. “You’ve hurt those I care about… and killed one of the two Kitsunes that I was actually getting along with.” Stomp, stomp, the ground shakes as Keaton approaches. “So… for both my half-dragon sister, my blood-sister, Dadaan, my pack, Hina, Silky… and Kaden.” He raises his fists together side-by side, “...die.” The combined area of those two fists was enough to cover the entirety of Xander’s chest.

Keaton takes a breath as he shifts back, there… dead. Sure, his death won’t bring the pack back, but… Keaton shakes his head. He’s going to need to wash his bloodied hands before he actually returns, because while he won’t openly admit it… he is actually starting to crave Hina’s presence, and not just in the means of wanting a mate, but… just her being near him. It actually was hurting him to not have her by his side during the battle, as he found himself worrying for her safety. Which is primarily why he beaten those two undying soldiers so brutally, he was… Keaton shivers at the thought of  **those**  things again.

“Hold on, Hina… I’m coming.”

* * *

One of the first things that Princess Hinoka did once when victory was sounded out… was to find Kagero. Don’t get her wrong, she wanted to be in the arms of her love, Keaton, once more, but Kagero is going to need some serious comfort soon, and considering Hinoka is the only other one in a ‘human and beastfolk’ relationship, she thinks that makes her the best one to help out. Thankfully, the Ninja wasn’t too hard to find…

Er, or maybe that’s a bad thing that she was so easy to find?

Anyway, Hinoka located Kagero under a tree, huddled up to it with a blanket over her… she’s emulating her time with Kaden. “Hey, Kagero?” Hinoka immediately takes a seat beside her.

“Hello, Lady Hinoka.” She offers an empty smile. “We’ve won…” She holds the blanket closer, though she can now see that there is something Kagero is clutching far tighter… a Beastrune.

She absentmindedly holds the Beaststone Keaty gave her. “Would you mind if I just sat beside you for a bit?” Ironic, considering she already is.

“I really shouldn’t be still…” Contradicting that, she remains, “But, Lord Ryoma ordered me to take some time for myself and I… don’t know what else to do. I don’t have the focus to train, or… do anything, really. I’m having trouble even just relaxing.” There’s a small shift under her blanket, but Hinoka isn’t too sure on what she just did. “He was trying so hard to be like a ‘human’ with me. Always so gentle and kind.”

“Heh… really?” Hinoka lets out a short giggle, “I didn’t try and push Keaty like that, I’d just let him… be him.” There is no shame admitting it… well, almost no shame. A small flush still creeps up her face.

“I… didn’t ask Kaden to act that way, he chose to.” A small smile forms, “He’d always ask before trying anything, always wanting to make sure he was doing it right.”

Hinoka shrugs, “Guess we have some pretty different tastes, right? I don’t care how he goes about things.”

“Lady Hinoka… are we talking about the same topic here?”

“Huh?”

“I’m referring to Kaden’s mannerisms in any given situation… gifts, what to say, and so on.”

Hinoka forms an ‘o’ with her mouth, “Uh, nevermind… I guess we aren’t. I thought you were referring to what would happen in bed… or against a tree.” Thank the gods her mother isn’t present to hear her daughter talk like this.

Kagero looks down on her body, “Well, since we’re on this… Kaden was strangely adamant about not having… protection the last time we shared with each other.” She moves the blanket over to show that her hand is resting on her stomach, “It was only one… erm, three times.” And now her face is flushed. “That night, do you think…?”

“Maybe?” Hinoka shrugs, “I get what you mean, though… Keaty despised the idea of contraceptives. They obviously don’t have that stuff.” She smiles, “I just returned all the doses I didn’t use after the first night, and whew… I’m glad I did. He was clearly thankful for it and…”

“Gods, Lady Hinoka! You are absolutely shameless.” Kagero says in a lighter mood.

Another shrug, “After spending that time in the pack, the sexual topics just stopped feeling so… ‘off-limits’. I got no problem talking about them in public, and I’m starting to wonder why it’s like that in the first place. It’s gonna happen at some point, might as well stop making it feel like it shouldn’t be talked about.” She casually leans against the tree, “Besides, I’ve come to terms about Keaty having other mates a long time ago… after our first night,” She smirks, “As long as he comes to me first.”

“...and I agreed to be fine with it, as long as I’m the one he loves, more as a wife.” A slight mood drop.

“Eh, not too worried about marriage, in fact… I think I’m just going to spend my days with Keaty. I’ll give my proper goodbyes and all that, but after that… I’m living with the…  **his**  pack. I’ll probably even learn unarmed fighting, too. I swear, I’m gonna floor him one day.”

“Hina.” Oh-ho… speak of the Wolfskin. Keaty walks up, his hands recently washed, it seems. “Xander’s dead.” A pause, then he clears his throat, “Kagero?”

“It’s alright.” She calmly replies. “I’ll be fine.”

“We were just chatting for a bit.” Hinoka supplies, “So… what’s next?” A glint passes in her eye, telling him exactly what  **she**  would like right about now.

“I was going to offer some… cuddles?” Despite not having enhanced senses, a few certain… scents are ones that Hinoka can start picking up on easily.

“Kagero? See you later!” She offers a smile, “Keaty? You know that I know what we both would really like right now, so… let’s get to it.” Yep, no shame… Mother would be sorely disappointed in her daughter right now. Hinoka would truly be a social disgrace… Among human standards, but that’s not what she’s abiding by right now. She’s with a Wolfskin, and she’d rather be treated by Wolfskin standards.

* * *

Lupus takes a deep breath of the surrounding forest, a few miles away from Krakenburg. Vella, Seta, and Dadaan are all out here with her. This was the first thing she wanted to do… outside, enter a forest and just relax. She’s already checked the surrounding area for traps, and the only other things out here are the trees and animals. With the place as safe as it can be, Lupus lies down on the ground, Vella on one side, Dadaan stubbornly being the ‘look-out’, and as for Seta? Well…

On top of her. The Archer has boldly made her position by lying chest first on top of Lupus.

Not that it bothers any of the people present. Still, staring at the woman she loves, and with her being so close means that… other topics can occur. Ones that don’t actually get brought up. Sure, both Lupus and Seta have a much higher personal scent rising up, but that’s alright. Wolfskin sure don’t care enough to point it out, and the same can be said for the half-dragons. Seta is simply too attuned to Wolfskin behavior to bother bringing it up.

Though, it doesn’t change the fact that an increasingly warm body and rising scent is most certainly a thing, and Lupus is trying really hard to not just start a deep kiss right now. Then again, on the other side of things… she’d also really like to feel Dadaan. She knows the feeling of love thanks to Seta, she knows the feeling of being breeded thanks to that… those wyverns. So, Dadaan would probably be a combination of love and lust. Her face starts lighting up.

“Lupus…” Seta obviously notices.

“So, Seta… we’re lovers, right?”

And now her face is flushing, “Yes we are.”

“And as humans, we would be getting into a… marriage?”

“That would also be right.”

“But… Dadaan and me would be mates.”

“Yep…” This time Vella is the one who replies.

“Would it be wrong to…?”

“Be sexually active with Dadaan and me?” Seta smiles.

Dadaan chuckles. “Huh?” Lupus asks, suddenly confused.

“Lupus…” Dadaan finally moves over from his spot. “I was training for my Wolfsegger form one day and….” He suddenly seems unsure.

“We agreed that if you agreed on it, then we’d share each other.” Seta bluntly states. “So…?”

“We’d be married, but he and me would be mates?” Lupus tilts her head, still a bit confused.

“I’d be the alpha of the pack and Seta would be your wife.” The Wolfskin supplies.

A moment passes, “Of… the pack?”

“My pack.”

“With me?”

“Lupus? Why do you sound so confused, this is stuff you know.” Seta points out.

“I guess I… just never really thought about it.” Lupus imagines it, being the mate of Dadaan, bearing pups and… still being able to keep Seta. She then finally nods, “Then Seta and I will be married, while I will be Dadaan’s mate.” Being able to wake up and being with both of them… Rustle, rustle. A few moments later and Quacker simply just starts walking past them. “Brother?” She’s quick to ask.

“...Hey.” He only stopped for a moment before resuming.

Only to be stopped by Dadaan, “Where are you going?”

“...”

“Nope, you’re staying.” The Wolfskin then drags Quacker back a few feet, and the half-dragon provides surprisingly little resistance.

“Um…?” Lupus asks.

“There are still a few things we haven’t told you about.” Once more, Seta informs her.

“Like…?”

Quacker is forced to sit down next to Lupus, and that’s when she noticed something rather unnerving… in each of his eyes there are spots of pure-black. “Brother?”

“We need to move.” He finally says. “There’s going to be some real trouble soon.”

“And how do you know?” Dadaan asks.

“...I don’t. She does. And… I can ‘feel’ what she feels. Sorta know what she knows.”

“Who’s she?” Lupus again.

“Vella? Get Keaty, he’ll decide where to go from here.”

Lupus was expecting Vella to outright decline, maybe even in a somewhat hostile manner, but… “Alright.” She shrugs, and just does what Dadaan had her do.

...huh, things have been changing while Lupus was taken away.

* * *

Being as attuned to magic as she is, Lilith easily felt that one huge wave pass through the air. She flies up a bit and looks around, before her piercing yellow eyes pinpoint into a certain direction, “And there you are…” Warp spell. She’s already felt a few pulses of Nyx’s Warp spells over the last few days. So, it’s reasonable to assume she’s planning something. She nods to herself, then proceeds to resume returning to the Hoshidan army, where Lupus should be at by now.

Lilith’s mind has since been cleared, though her pride is still heavily shattered. She knows that Nyx wanted her to approach her soon after their departure, but Lilith didn’t make it to three-thousand years and not gain much wisdom. She isn’t about to stumble into a well-armed trap and become some draconic body to harvest. Yes, she’ll still bring down her wrath onto Nyx, but she won’t do that while charging head-first. The only thing that will accomplish is her own death. “Hm?”

“Epuvjis fsehup?” A deep-purple scale dragon asks… who is flying beside a wyvern made of nothing but bones and magic.

Still, this dragon approached with a question, rather than claws and magic. [I am… Zimipe. You?]

[Hera.] Lilith notes that the majority of her eyes are pure-black, though there is a tinge of forest-green left in each. [You have her scent…]

[Her?]

[Small young-looking Dark Mage. She trapped me and my close friend over two decades ago. Experiments…] The two dragons land, with the wyvern following suit soon after. [Stole my soul, want her dead.]

[Nyx.] Lilith growls, [Well, you aren’t the only one who wants her dead.] She doesn’t ask for the details about what happened, because that won’t help take her down. [I was going to return to friends to help kill her. Nyx is far too intelligent to simply attack head-on. She’ll be prepared.]

Hera looks from Lilith to her ‘close wyvern friend’, [We’ll help.] She nods. [That way we can…]

[How old are you?]

She blinks her eyes, [About a century?]

Lilith nods, [And I’m over three-thousand years old, now listen to me…  **we**  will  **not**  attack Nyx until we have a fair number of allies to fight with. She is incredibly dangerous and she knows nearly everything there is to know about dragons.]

Hera snarls, [And just because you are that old doesn’t mean you know that Dark Mage through and through!  **I**  have two decades worth of personal experience on what she can and can’t do! She’s willing to do anything to understand and master dragons. She’s delved into this line of magic called ‘Soul Magic’, she knows how to create ‘undying’ soldiers. She stole my soul, she ripped everything out of my friend and left him as nothing but bones. She forced her Dark Magic into my body to try and make a connection so she could use Wild Magic… and you know what? She succeeded. She can use Wild Magic, she can force my body to do things… and her experiments aren’t limited to just dragons and wyverns. She had three other humans down there with me, one wolf, and one stag. She even skinned one of those humans.]

[Had?]

[I vaporized her entire mansion that she kept me and the others in. I found my will through someone else.] She takes a breath and her eyes… lighten? She suddenly seems happier, [A half-dragon came in and I… but he wanted to help anyway. After some time alone after he left, I just kept thinking about him more and more and… I managed to get us out.] She smiles. [I’d like to see him again… white hair, red eyes, he…]

[I know who you are talking about… well. Not directly, but I know him by the rest of the brood he is in. So… let’s go, he just might be with the ones I’m looking for right now.]

She breathes, then quickly nods, [Then, let’s go.]

* * *

Silky’s ears twitch as she lowers her Kitsune form, holds still for a few moments and… “Gotcha!” She exclaims as she snags a little birdie out of the air, before scarfing it down. “Mmm…” She hums, savoring the taste of the aviary creature. She then licks her lips clean of the remaining blood and feathers, then looks around. “Another birdie… or return to the others?” She asks herself…

_“Selkie, I know you love the taste of birds, but you can’t go running off for hours on end or miles away from the hamlet.”_  Ka-da once chided her… after she returned with several slashes, a few weak toxins, and one arrow embedded into her.  _“You need to limit yourself. From now on: No more than five, don’t take more than half an hour, don’t leave the limits of the regular patrols, and always return the second you detect humans, understand?”_

“...Yes, Ka-da.” Silky whimpers, her ears falling down a bit, and she pouts. “Why’d you had to go and do that? Did you really think it through? And… and why didn’t you just let me come with you?” Her body trembles with sorrow, but it isn’t until she shifts back that she can actually start crying. “Do you understand how scary it is? Being the last one of our hamlet? I’d… I want all of them back, even that kit who pulled our tails.” She then takes a moment to let the tears roll down her face… she can always clean the fur later.

“Tomlz?” She just barely picks out a voice, and from the side comes that half-dragon that looks a whole lot like Lu-pu.

“Oh… hey, Bella.” Silky sniffs as the rest of the tears dry up, “I’m surprised you aren’t with Lu-pu.”

Bella tilts her head then clears her throat, “I wanted to… walk some.” She smiles. “Then I… caught your scent. How are you… Silky?”

“I was just hunting down some birdies!” She flashes her fangs, “Birdies always make things better!”

“I miss… my brood, too.” A pause, “Erm, I mean… siblings.”

...Bella saw right through her. “But, they’re still alive.”

She nods, “They are… Yseranyx is almost just like Utvseie and…”

“Ugh, could you not use those big names? I don’t like them. Yser-yoo-hoo is Lu-pu, got it? Untva-something is Feisty.”

“Lu...pu and… Feisty?” Bella echoes.

“A-yep! So, you were saying that Lu-pu is almost just like Feisty and…?”

“I love them both… very much. Though, I do hope… brothers will behave more. Not best… company.” She admits, “What was… hamlet like?”

Silky offers a huge smile, “Ooo, you might wanna sit down, because this is going to take a bit…” Silky takes in a deep breath, now if Bella were aware of how Silky ‘works’, she would’ve taken that cue to run away as far as possible, because, well...

“So when we were all really young and kits and playful the alpha at the time who was actually my daddy always pushed to make a better connection between human and beastfolk so what he did was establish trade connections with the nearest village so we would offer things that you could only really get high up where we lived at and in turn we would get stuff like healing items and fruits and ooo ooo there were these super-awesome ground things that we could use to grow stuff super fast and also during one of these trips Ka-da brought back this huge basket of food and stuff and I might have snooped around a bit and one of the things I ate was this thing called a peach and let me tell you there is nothing in this world that tastes as good as a peach I mean well there are the birdies but the birdies are a ‘meat’ thing and the peaches are a ‘fruit’ thing so anyway one of the things we did with the special growing stuff is grow a lot of peach trees and I actually took such good care of these peach trees that when I brought some with me to the town we traded at the farmers complimented on how good my peaches look even though I didn’t really get how it was so hard since I was just following directions oh and also during that one trip…”

* * *

Matriarch Azura looms over Garon, with the man chained down in an open area deep within the Draconic House. She doesn’t particularly like how this will play out, but… this is the punishment dictated by her House, and Garon had the corresponding rules broken. “King Garon.” She announces, to which the man could barely raise his head. Whatever draconic magic was fueling him has long since faded. “You have willingly partook in practices that are directly forbidden by my House, a House that Nohr needs. It is due to my family’s pact with the ancient dragons that wyverns can even be mounted. The ancient dragons have provided us with so many gifts, and in turn… we have carefully picked through what we grace Nohr with. You wished to ‘ascend’ with the power you tried to hold, but…” She pauses for a moment, “Your punishment has been set, and I honestly pray you are not in pain for long.”

“Tch.” Is all Garon replies with.

Azura frowns, he has really fallen in almost every possible way… she reaches for the latch, unlocks it, and says only two more words… “Feppis’t siefz.” Azura walks away and out of the room, mere moments before the sound of tearing flesh and cries of agony fill the area.

“Daughter?” Her mother asks once she returns to the main hall.

“It’s done.” Is all she replies with.

“There is still the matter of Nyx.”

“I know.”

Arete scans her over with a keen mother’s eye, “My darling Azura? Go take a nap, okay? I’ll temporarily take over the Matriarch position for the rest of the day… maybe even tomorrow.”

A small smile, “Thank you, mother. I suppose I…”

“No, don’t even think about that. You  **are**  ready for this position. Dear? Over the thousands of years this House has existed, there are only two other cases where  **that**  punishment was used. Nobody can prepare with the knowledge of willingly sending a defenseless person to death via consumption from wyverns.”

“It seems awfully brutal… why couldn’t we offer a clean kill?” Azura counters.

“...because it is the will of the dragons who we forged this pact with. I agree, there could be better ways, but… this pact is heavily sided in their favor, as is our family history. We give when they ask, rarely do we ask for things ourselves.” Arete concludes.

“Still…” She starts, but stops when she receives a rather intense look from her mother.

“And these are the times where you are going to have to set aside your humanity for their will. It’s not about what we want, it’s about what the dragons want. Now please, go take your nap and I will handle things for today.”

“Yes, mother.” Azura gives in… yes, she’s ready to lead the Draconic House, but there are a few subtleties she needs to learn. Discarding her humanity? Now that is a concept she probably won’t ever be able to do. Just how much did the dragons demand her family do for this pact?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t mind me, I’m just setting up the final bits and pieces for… Endgame. The final battle. *rubs hands* Oh yes, and I’m looking forward to this particular fight. Erm, now then…
> 
> Orochi, wait… did I ever do her? *shrug* Anyway, concern for Mikoto due to one of her own fortunes, so, this fortune… oof. One of the brood is going to be held up by none other than Nyx, as well as… ah-ha! So that is where all of those missing people are. ‘Aight everyone, seems like the enemy’s army is set… unless there are more in waiting. But wait, what’s this? There’s also a short visage of bones and magic? Screams and roars? Could there be another… risen dragon?
> 
> Next up is Keaton… ah, a long-awaited death here, or is that just me? Xander finally got struck down by best wolf-boy… in canon anyway, because Dadaan has that incredibly attractive tuft of purple fur on him. *whistles* Alright, so Keaton gets to plow Xander into the ground and now he wants to spend time with Hina, seems reasonable enough, though there seems to be less stress on mating this time…
> 
> Hinoka! The warrior princess, taking some time to comfort Kagero… before we start seeing a rather large change in this fic’s Hinoka. All of that personal time with Keaton really has dulled any timidness on the topic of sex, yeah? Whew, that was quite an interesting part of the chapter for me… which really reinforces her behavior in ‘Lust and Love’... alcohol aside.
> 
> Lupus, yet another scene that ultimately surrounds relationships… aw yeah. Lupus gets to have Seta as a wife, and Dadaan as a mate! On top of this, neither of them are going to die! Cheers for an enjoyable future for Lupus. Then there is also the bit that confirms her section in 'Lust and Love' as canon. Oh, we also got to see Vella finally moving on from her obsession with Lupus.
> 
> L to L, and now we’re onto Lilith, who gets the luxury of meeting the soulless… oh, her name is Hera. Something else that was actually pointed out in ‘Lust and Love’.
> 
> Ah, Selkie, such an energetic ball of Kitsune fluff… and her love of birdies, but also a bit on her hurt and… oh look, that’s where Bella is! And, erm… there’s a good reason why I cut off Silky’s rant, because, yeah. Silky already has a fair amount of moments in this fic with her rambles, but this is the first one where she takes a breath right before a ramble, so yeah.
> 
> Last, but not least, Azura. So, we get all but the detailed scene of Garon’s death, and a short talk with her mother.


	74. An Unexpected Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, not the final battle just yet… I got a few more things I want to cover…
> 
> And a few plot twists to drop.
> 
> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako.
> 
> Silky refers to Lupus = Lu-pu. Utvseie = Feisty.
> 
> Qsoeqat = Quacker. Belladonna = Bella or Cimmefuppe = Kim.

 

Lupus wasn't too sure what she was expecting when she and the others were quickly recalled to one of the camps scattered around Krakenburg. Well… the first thing is that Lilith had returned! The second is that there was this other dragon with deep purple scales, eyes that were primarily black, but with a tinge of forest green. The third was that Quacker was scale-to-scale next to this dragon. The fourth was that mother… erm, Queen Mikoto is here.

"Daughter!" Her 'mother' quickly dashes up and gives her a tight hug. "You're safe…" Her body trembles as tears escape her.

"But, I'm not…"

"I don't care. I raised you as my own, as far as I'm concerned, you are my daughter." She firmly cuts her off.

"...Mother." Lupus smiles as she returns the hug. "What are you doing here?"

"We've reason to believe Nyx is about to strike. Maybe she already has." A Lord Leo states, gesturing towards the map. "Thanks to the intel provided by…?"

"Jise." The purple-scaled female dragon speaks in Draconic.

"Hera." Quacker translates.

"By Hera… we know that Nyx has a number of 'research' stations strewn across Nohr, all interconnected by incredibly complex Warp Runes." Dot, dot, dot, Leo circles small areas across Nohr… and Hoshido. "She can use this system to travel to and fro from…"

"Fro?" Lupus echoes.

"Back and forth." Not even a tinge of irritation, "from any facility she wishes."

"And thanks to my retainer, Orochi, we can figure out that Nyx has all of the missing soldiers, like Xander's retainers, with her. She also is planning to…" Mother falters, "harvest one of… the brood."

"And I swear, I will do everything within my power to make sure that doesn't happen." Leo quickly adds. "I have a fair amount of knowledge when it comes to Warping, so… I propose that myself, Odin, Lady Sakura, and perhaps even Orochi if we can make a quick message, to spread out and channel disruption spells across various parts of Nohr and Hoshido. These spells will cut off the connections between each Warp Rune."

"Which would prevent her from preparing…" Sakura nods.

"Or from escaping, if she already has her quarry." That archer… Niles, says. "Honestly, who's to say that this half-dragon hasn't already been turned into…"

"Niles, enough." Leo cuts him off.

"I'm only taking all possible scenarios into account, milord… just as you would." He smirks.

"I have already accounted for them, but this is not the time to think of those outcomes."

"Wouldn't it be easier to disrupt the rune near Nyx?" Niles looks at the map, "That is an awful lot of ground to cover…"

"A valid concern, but that would leave us far more exposed, see…" A Lord Leo points to each of the circles, "According to Hera, these Warp Runes are located within magic-dampening buildings, which in turn means that the Runes have to be especially strong to keep the gateways up, so… if we drain even a fraction of the power from these Runes, then they won't be able to maintain the gateway, thus leaving her stranded in the place she's at."

[But… also, might be… experiments.] Hera adds.

"There might be more like what we fought during Garon's battle, the undying." Quacker speaks up, "The Runes are located in similar areas, which means that if you get too close, you'll probably end up being trapped in an underground basement."

[Qsoeqat… they can be killed. Turn to ashes, release them.]

"It takes a lot of magic to burn something to ashes." He forms his maw, "And there's only three of us present who can directly digest them." The maw fades.

"Then send Hera, me, you, and Cimmefuppe out, Lupus can go with the main group against  **her**." Lilith states.

"And that is what Nyx probably wants you to do." Leo quickly denies that idea. "Tactics, Lilith. If she's willing to stoop down to Soul Magic, then you can be godsdamn sure she'll do  **anything**  for a dragon's body! I can easily assume she'll simply bind a stray dragon and warp both you and her somewhere far away, and she'll repeat until she has all of you. So, no, we are  **not**  splitting up those of draconic heritage."

"And you're failing to grasp just how much magic dragon  **remains**  hold! She could just as easily have a pile of elder dragon bones, wherever she is, and then pool up that burst of magic in one go!" Lilith raises her voice. "If we send in all of our 'those of draconic heritage' at once, she'll probably just cast an empowered Eruption and kill all of you!"

"Then why don't we just stagger out the dragons in our group?" Lupus suggests. "Send them in from multiple flanks? If we can get her attention and have her attack beforehand, then she'll be too busy with the initial group to cast Eruption." She blinks her eyes…

Where did  **that**  come from?

"That's… a brilliant idea, Princess Corrin." Leo smiles. "Actually, let me add onto that… we can split our force into several groups. One will be the one you brought up, an initial strike group to catch Nyx's attention, whoever she has controlled, and stand out against them." He raises two fingers, "The second group will consist of our best mages, with Nyx and the others caught up in the distraction, these mages will move in and deactivate the Warp Rune near her, thus keeping all of our forces in one place." A third finger, "The third and final group will be the rest of our forces, both surrounding her forces and keeping a consistent pressure on her."

[Fool, she knows Wild Magic, and there are many wide-area spells available to a dragon. Eruption is one of the mid-range ones. Bring me in at my full potential, and I can level a large village… and I'm not even two centuries old.] Hera states in Draconic.

"Can you… not speak our…"

[Don't group me with your kind. I'm only here to make sure The Harvester dies.]

"...you can understand me, but you won't…?"

Hera narrows her eyes, flicks out her forked tongue and says, "You best watch... your tongue, Soul-Eater." A dark purple aura comes out of her. "You are not... so far from her."

A Lord Leo actually flinches, "I am  **not**  like her! Had I not did what I did, we would have died!"

"Oh yes, it starts with... 'desperation' and 'necessity', but watch as that... reasoning starts to dwindle into less... valid explanations, the threshold for... 'necessity' will lower more and more and the next thing you know… you'll be wanting more souls to fuel your magic."

"No! He is not like that!" Saku  **shouts**. "Yes, that route of magic is incredibly wrong and it should never be done, but he isn't going to fall down that path! So, don't you dare accuse him of that!"

[And you keep telling yourself that now, just know I won't care the night he's breeding you and you wake up the next morning without your own soul.] Hera spits out.

Lilith sighs, "Before that derailed… Hera simply stated that Nyx will know many devastating large-area spells, so it wouldn't be wise to keep people close together."

[Is there anything else important, or I can leave?]

"Are there any other plans we need to know now?" Quacker asks.

"Is there anything else she can provide us? If not…" Before Leo finishes, Hera struts out, with Quacker following her. "Very well." Leo sighs.

Lilith narrows her eyes at Hera, [Lupus? She's only about a century year old… she shouldn't be able to go into heat.]

"...but, I can go into heat." Lupus blurts out… before distinctly remembering to say that in Draconic.

"Daughter!" Mother chides her.

Lilith continues, [That's due to your human blood speeding up your body… I honestly don't know how long you'll live, but since you're already able to breed and lay eggs… I'd say you won't live much longer than the average human.] She shakes her head, [Anyway, Hera  **is**  in heat right now, which is why I brought it up… actually, now that I think about it…] She trails off.

[Yes?]

[She literally went into heat the second Qsoeqat started rutting.] Lilith pulls a strange look, [That must be due to her having a fraction of his soul, I guess?] She turns towards A Lord Leo, "What exactly  **is**  in a soul?"

"I'm truly thankful for the gods that nobody here is wanting to follow through the punishments presented on this topic…" He sighs again, "My knowledge is incredibly limited, but I can at least state with some confidence that the most agreed attribute that souls have are containing ones hopes, motivations, and will to do things. It does  **not**  hold someone's thoughts or memories… that belongs to the brain. For example… while your heart might hold the compassion to love, your brain will remember the reasons why you love, it is your soul that gives you the drive to fight for what you love." A flush forms as he glances over to Saku...

And then it 'clicks'. "Daughter?" Mikoto gently asks, "Would you please come with me for a moment?"

"Yes… mother." Her face now completely beet-red, Saku starts walking out.

"And I'm talking with  **you**  next, Lord Leo." Mikoto levels an incredibly intimidating 'mother' stare at him.

"Oh-ho, this should be interesting…" Niles smirks. "My liege, did you, by chance… plant your Brynhildr into her?" A silence shortly fills the room, "Embedded the seeds of your love? Popped her sweet red cherry? Have her squirming in bed from your personal sword? Perhaps you…"

A slap echoes from the tent and now A Lord Leo looks incredibly embarrassed… and quite angered. "Niles. Leave."

Yet, the Archer takes it in stride, "Yes, milord… but know that I will always be listening…" He walks out before A Lord Leo strikes him again.

Lilith simply looks around, seemingly unsure why 'mating' is such an avoided topic. "So… there would be a part of the soul that holds sexual lust?"

"By the gods… are there any questions relating to this mission?! Which, may I remind you all, holds the utmost dire importance?!" Another silence, "No? Good! Then you all are dismissed, there will be another meeting when Nyx's current whereabouts are known!"

[Lupus?] Lilith approaches the Wolfskin-raised half-dragon. [Would you mind if I taught you some more on dragons? Wild Magic?]

Lupus's face brightens, [Of course! I'd also like another story about your past.]

* * *

[See… I'm supposed to be too young to be in heat…] Hera supplies as Qsoeqat guides her away from the rest. [But, one or two days after you visited, I… started having a lot of really vivid dreams and needs and wants and… the more I thought about you, the more I wanted to do something.]

[Don't worry about it… I'll quell your heat.] He smirks. [Besides, you're a dragon, I'm half-dragon… our offspring will be three-fourths dragon and one-fourth human… that's better than half-dragon.]

She stops for a moment, [What about that Kitsune?]

And speak of the vixen, no more than a second after she asked, Qsoeqat was suddenly pinned to the ground, with a livid vixen on top of him. "Quacker!" She growls, "Me. You. Now!"

"Get off, Silky." He snaps back.

"You asked for a female Kitsune, and this vixen has been so patiently waiting…"

"I want **ed**  a female Kitsune." He pushes her off, "I have a dragon now. I. Don't. Want. You."

Silky lowers her stance. "I'll fight her." She claims. "Winner gets you."

"I don't care what you want." Quacker growls back.

[Can't we just get rid of her?] Hera asks.

A pause, [She's close friends with my sister, killing her would make things really bad.]

"Stop that! Stop speaking to where I can't understand you!"

"Silky, forget it. I don't want you. I'm not going to mate with you. You're more than aware enough of how things go to question it. Present yourself to a different male." A pause.

"Then… enough to get me a litter of kits?" She pouts, "Please, I'm the last of my hamlet and the kits that I would get from you would be…"

Qsoeqat shares a look with Hera, the briefest flashes of purple follow, "No, forget it." His response is suddenly much more aggressive. "I don't care about you, your needs, your heat,  **your anything**! Leave. Us. Alone."

"It'll help spread out the dragons more! Isn't that why you mated with all of those Wolfskin? More dragons? Let me help!" Silky then yelps as she jumps back… narrowly missing a swipe from a quick shifted sword.

The sword fades, and it seems there's a more intense purple aura around him. Though, instead of bothering with the stubborn vixen, he instead turns towards Hera. [Shift, bend.]

She forms a cocky smile on her face, her forms shifts into her, admittedly small, dragon form. In fact, her dragon form is almost the size of Silky's Kitsune form… only not as long. [He doesn't want you, vixen. He wants me, and only me.] Hera flicks her forked tongue out at Silky. [And unlike you, I can give birth to offspring for many centuries. More, better, stronger… and most importantly, so much closer to being pure-blooded dragons.] Silky finally turns away as Qsoqat mounts Hera with his huge dragon form. Any interested spectator would probably be surprised that his dual-headed member didn't cause any damage, but… a dragon's inner walls are meant to be able to stretch far more than other species… especially since magic-attuned dragons are naturally smaller.

[ **Mine**.] Qsoeqat growls as he plunges in, while also giving her the first mating bite of her life… the first of many… many more.

* * *

Finding him turned out to be easier than Utvseie had assumed. Despite the clear lack of mass killings along the way, there was instead another sign in which only Nalaptijep would leave behind. And that is the distinct knowledge that every fruit had been plucked out of its original location. The smell of fruit is heavy in the air. Though to be honest, she would rather prefer finding him hoarding apples again than taking lives. Of course, due to her history on how she treated him…

"Totvis…" He plainly greets her.

[Brother.]

[I'm away from everyone else, I'm not consuming humans, I've been eating solely fruit… and you still feel the need to track me down?] To her surprise, there were  **not**  a massive pile of fruit near him.

[We're of the same brood, I have every right to worry.] She states as she gets closer, not making any effort to mess with the small fruit pile. [I spoke to the woman who raised our sister.]

[As did I.]

[She provided a lot of good information, things I wish I knew and applied after mother's death.] Her voice cracks for a moment. [Brother, I apologize for how I treated you. I could've handled your hoarding so much better.]

[...What's done is done. Leave me alone.] Crunch, down goes another apple.

[I'd like for you to come with me, so we can reunite with our sister.]

He offers her that blank stare, the one lacking so much emotion. She doesn't know why, but that's just how he's become. [She doesn't need to meet me. All I care for that she is well.]

[We're of the same brood.]

[That didn't stop you from beating down our brother!] He lashes back. [You only care about the sisters, not the brothers!  **Leave**!]

[We can still work things out.] She calmly replies, [But… I'm not going to force issues anymore. If you want me to leave. I'll leave. And… and you won't see me unless you choose to seek me out.] She turns on her heel, [Be safe, brother.] She walks out. It pained her to say that, but Mikoto's right, she can't force them to change. It's time to track down the eldest brother… then return to the army to reunite with her sisters.

Hopefully he hasn't gotten himself into too much trouble.

* * *

Cimmefuppe offers a gentle smile as she approaches Saku… her, what was it… half-sister? "Jimmu…" Then she stops herself, ugh… after speaking solely Draconic for so long, she's having a hard time remembering to use the human tongue. "Hello, Saku…" Saku, who is currently working on medicine, actually just continues to do so. That's right, she's human, her hearing isn't as sharp. The half-dragon scoots over to the far side, then taps on the table.

Saku squeaks, "Oh… hello." She greets, "Um… Bella, right?"

She nods, "And… Saku?"

"Heya! I brought the rest!" The other youngest Princess… Elise? "Oh, hi! My name is Elise, Princess of Nohr… and you must be… Bella." She offers a huge smile.

Bella nods, "I am. How are… you doing?"

"I'm doing super-awesome, everyone here is all nice and friendly towards each other and it's like… woo-hoo!" Elise walks over to places the extra ingredients away… then starts hopping in place.

"I'm doing well… just… working for a bit." Saku smiles. "I wanted to get some special tonics ready for the upcoming, and hopefully last… battle."

"Oh yeah… that." Elise holds still, and the smile drops some. "Well, big brother's really smart, so… we'll win for sure!"

"I don't… want to lose… anyone else." Bella adds, "Already lost… mother and father."

"Hey… Lady Sakura, you got a free moment or ten?" Elise asks.

"Uh… sure? Some of this needs to settle."

"Heya, Bella? Wanna do something…" She pauses for dramatic effect, "fun?"

"Fun…" Bella echoes. "Like a… game?" Games weren't common while she was growing up, the brood was always more focused on training and living to see the next day… and unlike the pack that Ztisepzy grew up in, there were only five in the brood, with the brothers being almost out of control. Now, add onto all of that Bella's strange natural ability to produce toxins, which in turn almost silences her voice, and the den was a very busy place. "I don't know… many games."

Elise gasps, "We gotta fix that! C'mon! I know a lot of games where we don't even need a board or cards or anything like that!" She takes the lead, "To the outside!"

"Games sound like a good thing right now." Saku nods as she follows her.

"...what kind of game uses… a 'board' or 'cards'?" Bella quietly asks, before she moves to follow the other two Princesses. The youngest Princess of Hoshido, the youngest Princess of Nohr, and the youngest half-dragon Princess… of Hoshido.

Huh.

* * *

Silky is curled up, resting, as she takes in what little sunlight Nohr offers. After one intense crying session, she has settled down quite a bit. Sure, it will probably forever hurt her, but at least she won't be stuck in the past. It would end up hurting the Kitsunes as a whole more if she tries and forces Quacker to breed her. It's fine… she'll just find another male.

She perks her head and ears up as she hears laughter… Saku, Bella, and Elise. She smiles at the thought, which causes her tail to wag, but as she stood up to go join them in the fun, she paused as a scent entered the air… Keaty. Well, Keaty and Hina, but Silky noted Keaty first. She twitches her nose as they approach… musk. "Hey, Silky!" Hina greets her.

She can note the slight wobble in Hina's walking. "Hey~! How's it going?" Silky flashes her fangs with a huge smile.

"I'm doing pretty well." She replies, "So, uh…"

"Quacker." Keaty cuts her off.

"Pfft, don't care about him." She spits out, "I feel like playing… wanna play? If not, I was gonna go and join Bella, Saku, and Elise… they are sounding like they are having loads of fun! Hey! Why don't you both join me?"

"Hina…" Keaty nudges her.

She shrugs, "Remember, as long as I'm first." She walks off.

"Keaty?" Silky asks.

"Lupus has really changed me… us."

"Uh-huh, Lu-pu is so great! I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure I can keep up what was started!" Silky quickly nods. "Maybe not this round, but we're gonna all be friends later! Then there can be playtime, all the time!"

"Yeah… the future." Keaty pauses, "It crossed my mind a few times, but now that he doesn't want anything to do with you…"

"What?"

"I want you to be a part of  **my**  pack, as my mate."

A...Wolfskin and a Kitsune? Mates? Well, Keaty already has a human as one. Still, Keaty's strong, he'd make for an excellent alpha. He's already been an excellent alpha. "Okay." She agrees. "Stupid Quacker doesn't know what he's missing, so… yeah." He licks his lips, his tail is wagging, and… "Keaty? Can… you breed me? Like right now? Quacker has had me waiting for weeks and…"

"I  **just**  got done with Hina a few hours ago." He huffs. Oh, fine… it is about what the male wants, not what the… "Tonight." He states. "...erm, after Hina, that is."

"But, you just said…"

"She's willing to look past my need to have other mates, as long as she's first." He shrugs, "That's fine with me. Hina has a different kind of strength that I find desirable."

* * *

To see everyone working together as they are now had warmed Queen Mikoto's heart to no end. Kitsune, Wolfskin, Half-dragon, pure-blooded Dragon, Hoshidan, and Nohrian, all within the same camp. Oh, how her beloved would have truly wanted to see this sight with her. Unity. However, beyond all of this was one most… interesting individual. Lilith, the pure-blooded dragon who aided in saving her daughter. She can't quite put her finger on it…

Which is why she chose to approach the woman herself. A few questions should be enough to sate her curiosity. Mikoto ended up finding Lilith, who is currently talking to her daughter… in Draconic. From the one-sided conversation and the fact of how entranced Corrin is, Lilith must be telling her a story. Mikoto watches from a short distance. While she can pick up the words, she can't understand what's being said.

Regardless, her daughter seems to be enjoying herself, so that's good enough for her. "Ah, hello… Queen Mikoto." Lilith greets her.

"Lilith was telling me about one of her 'past lives'!" Corrin smiles.

"Hello, Lilith… um? Past… lives?" Mikoto echoes.

"She's over three-thousand years old!"

"Oh?"

Lilith lightly giggles, "I am. My birth name is Zimipe… or Yelena in the human tongue. I have spent most of my life being with humans in their settlements, and as such… I've lived with many different names and I have held many different professions. Stable-hand, guard, Ninja, milk maid… there are few things I haven't touched at least once."

"Then you must have also been quite the traveler, correct?"

She smiles, "I have been, though my most frequented spots are usually the larger cities. Shirasagi… only a few times." A short pause, "I don't mean anything against it, but it's just that I've grown use to Nohr's Krakenburg and Crynkesia." Lilith then, strangely, leans forward and… sniffs? She tilts her head, a faint sort of recognition in her eyes. "Lupus? Mikoto? Please, excuse me." She walks before any response is made.

Huh, that was rather strange… "How are you feeling, dear?"

Corrin tilts her head, "I'm doing pretty well. I'm glad to see all of you again… that stupid castle was… a lot of bad times." She frowns.

"Well, you're safe now."

"Not until Nycas is dead."

"Nycas?" Mikoto echoes, "Oh… you mean Nyx?"

"Cs, cs… sc… cas…  **That**  letter." She huffs.

"Can you not say the letter 'X'?"

"Cas." Corrin puffs her cheek out, "Nycas. A Lord Casander." She then points at herself, "Yseranycas."

"I… see." She simply replies, well… she just learned something new about Corrin.

"Okay, I'm back…" Lilith returns with a glass of… milk? "Here, Queen Mikoto." She offers it, a sort of determined expression on her face.

Um… where did she get milk from? "Lilith?" She hesitantly asks, but at least goes to grab it.

"My memory may not be the best… but scents are rarely forgotten." Is all she supplies.

"Very well." Still uncertain, but she at least goes to take a sip. The first sensation that hits her taste buds is that… it tastes like the milk had been warmed with a fire, the second is a huge kick of sour. Despite that, she ends up actually liking the taste. "Thank you, Lilith… I hadn't known such a delightful combination…"

Lilith smiles, "Not many would appreciate that specific blend."

"Might I ask what you put in this?"

Once she asked that question, Mikoto got one of the last responses she'd thought she would ever hear in her life, "I didn't put anything in it… that's my breast milk."

"...oh yeah!" Corrin nods, "So, according to Lilith. Due to the amount of times she took a human form with her Wild Magic, her body started changing to where it could make its own milk, but she was told that her milk was too hot and sour for most babies."

"Is that so?" Mikoto tilts her head, before taking another sip. "How strange, because despite my youth at the time… I can clearly recall an incident during my very young years… There was this strange truth that went something like… my parents firing so many different milk maids for this, almost absurd reason… their breasts were too large."

And to add to this feeling of strangeness, Corrin tilts her head, then looks at Lilith, "Um…?"

"I had thought so." Lilith smiles. "Well, to be honest, I told you that I… wasn't sure on how long ago this happened, so…" Lilith raises her hand, mutters a few words, and her appearance changes. Fiery-red hair and eyes, a maid's outfit, but more in the 'milk maid' style and… "Hello, my young one… my name is Abigail." 'Abigail' bows down.

Mikoto tilts her head, uncertain on this… "I… don't understand?"

"Mikoto. I noted your scent and found it familiar, and I believe that your preference for my milk confirmed it… Queen Mikoto?  **I**  am the milk maid that was assigned to you during your infancy."

"...Are you certain?" She continues, unconvinced.

"Your parents were firing milk maids that you wouldn't accept… I'm sorry that I had let that happen." She frowns, "I let my draconic pride get the better of me one day, and that ended up with me being singled out for embarrassment. I soon gave up 'Abigail' and went about my life. I'm… glad that you were still raised well. And it brings me a warmth to know that you still like my milk." A pause, "Which might, in fact, explain your heavy attunement to magic. I am a dragon that is inclined to magic."

Mikoto looks from the glass of hot and sour milk, over to Lilith… Abigail. "Well, I can't say that I specifically remember, but… if this is true, then I'm glad we could have met again." A smile forms. "Still, I can't think of any milk maids who would produce…" She lets the statement linger.

"You… aren't angry? For me leaving? What if your parents never found another milk maid?" Lilith asks.

"But, that's what didn't happen, correct? I accepted another milk maid, and I've gotten to meet the first one that took care of me. Truly, I am grateful to have met you." A pause, "Lilith? Would you care to have a permanent residence in Shirasagi? Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking for you to work for my family line, I'm simply asking if you would like a room solely for you?"

Lilith tilts her head, "A room… just for me? You… do realize I probably won't use it often. I don't like staying in one place for a long time."

The smile doesn't fade, "I understand, but the offer stands. Even if you only use it once."

Lilith looks from Corrin to Mikoto, before she offers a deep bow, "I'd be very thankful for a place to call my own, Queen Mikoto. Thank you."

"Then I will make the arrangements when we return… after this foul Dark Mage is taken care of." A string of darkness passes by her face, a testament to how much spite she's reserved for 'Nyx'. No, she hasn't met her personally, but… with the crimes she's committed? The response is simple… peace is beyond her, and she best pray that Mikoto gets to her first… because she just might be the only one to give her a quick end.

Then again… she does have two arrow-heads worth of Magebane Toxin leftover…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *rubs hands* Alright then… Lupus! For what starts off as a pretty tame meeting devolves between the tension from Leo and Hera, primarily from Hera's side. Keep in mind that that dragonling was confined to a single location for over twenty years, while also being stripped of any will to do anything on her own. She finally finds her freedom in Quacker, but face it… the damage has been done. Hera has a sore spot against humans, and a particularly vicious side against Soul Magic. She's probably only there because Quacker is there. We can only hope that once she gets her own soul back, that maybe things will get better.
> 
> Other than that… we got a nice little bit with Sakura standing up to Leo's side… some snarky behavior from Niles (Seriously, who let him in?) and a brief moment of radiance from Lupus in terms of her natural tactical knowledge, despite not ever training in it.
> 
> Ah, speaking of Quacker. We get some information that has actually been covered in 'Lust and Love', but I'm not gonna force anyone to read that to get canon details… so, here it is! Hera is 'too young' to go into heat. Sure, she's over a century, but she's also a pure-blooded dragon, so… she's ten times younger than Nowi.
> 
> Oof, Silky was let down hard. But wait, what's this? Dark Magic pulsing around Quacker? Hera's jealousy? Ohhh dear… now let's really hope getting her soul back will fix all of this.
> 
> Ah, the eldest sister of the brood meeting up with the middle brother of the brood. It's good to see those two doing well. Er, not really much to say here, so… here's for the best!
> 
> Bella~! Well, perhaps if I could have sat down and thought of something fitting enough, I'd have included the game scene between Elise, Sakura, and Bella.
> 
> Silky… hm. So basically, she is being moved from being Quacker's mate, to being Keaty's mate. *shrug* fair enough. I think it's safe to say that relations between Wolfskin and Kitsune are doing fairly well.
> 
> Lastly, Mikoto, in which holds the big twist of the chapter. Yes, the child that Li… erm, that Abigail breast-fed was none other than an infant Mikoto. Keep in mind that Lilith's memory is not perfect and that the last two bits she told about Abigail's life should not be taken at face value. Anyway, this ultimately led up to Lilith getting a permanent place to call home. Aw… how touching.


	75. I'm Going to Kill Your Butt!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do not be fooled by the word count, because this chapter is, in fact… almost 8k words long, excluding the shout-outs. And almost all of it is the battle overall. Like, 95% of it.
> 
> I’m bouncing between a total of three PoV. Lupus, Leo, and Quacker.
> 
> Enjoy.
> 
> \---------------------------
> 
> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako.
> 
> Silky refers to Lupus = Lu-pu. Utvseie = Feisty.
> 
> Qsoeqat = Quacker. Belladonna = Bella or Cimmefuppe = Kim.

 

The sound for battle was quick… one minute, the camp was rather easy-going and just doing their business, the next everyone present was geared up and marching out. The time has come, Nyx’s current base of operations has been located thanks to the combined effort of Lilith and Reina, the former for using her expertise in magic, the latter due to a long history of military training which would provide an excellent frame of reference. The groups have been split up, with the mages borrowing a number of Nohrian horses to sooner round the rear of Nyx’s base.

Lupus is the one who ended up leading the initial charge, with her strangely gifted tactical knowledge on hand. This group is primarily composed of the physical based fighters, Wolfskin and Kitsune, Bella, Seta… though Elise was also present, if for the pure healing support.

The second group is the hit and run, comprised of Reina, Hina, and whatever wyvern or Pegasi knights they could rally… though that wasn’t too much. Even Lilith in her dragon form is a part of this one.

The third is the ‘backdoor’ Mage group, led by Leo. This one contained Sakura, Mikoto, and even Utvseie.

The fourth contains the remainder…Hera, Qsoeqat, and a few others.

All retainers are with their respective lieges, only barring Seta, due to her lack of flight training, since Azama was able to ‘tag along’ on a random wyvern, surprisingly enough.

They  **might**  have been able to rally more, but that both presents the problem of Nyx moving… and that a large force would actually end up hindering them. They are in a catch 22 situation… they need a lot to counter what Nyx has, but bringing too many will leave them vulnerable to an Eruption-style spell.

Regardless, the call has been made, and it wasn’t long… relatively speaking, until Lupus’s section made first contact…

* * *

The first thing that Lupus’s group find out was that the immediate area was riddled with traps, both of the magical and physical variety. Lupus could handle the physical ones just fine… her skills haven’t gotten rusty that much, so she could easily weave around and safely disarm them within a few minutes, but… this isn’t the forests around the packs, she isn’t disarming poacher traps. In short…

The physical traps were crossed over with the magical ones. So… they armed the physical ones first, then casted the magical traps. “A Lady Elise? Are there any fire-based traps?” Lupus’s mind quickly starts ‘clicking’, “I can handle fire.”

“Uh…” Perhaps unnerved by being called out so suddenly, it takes her a few extra seconds to think, “Here…” She waves her hand and… small columns of various colors of light pop up, “Red is fire, blue is ice, yellow is electricity, purple is dark.” She explains.

“Lu-pu, let me set off the magical ones.” Silky states, “Nine-tails are really resilient to magic.” See, one of the things that happened before they left was Kagero let Silky borrow the Beastrune, so now she’s in her Nine-tails form.

“All of them?” Lupus asks, concerned, “Just get one side of each, then I can undo the ropes and springs.”

Silky backs up, “I’ll have it done faster than you can explain your favorite activity… Foxfire: Ward!” She exclaims, which causes her Foxfire orbs to circle around her… once. A faint fiery-blue shield surrounds her, then within a single bound, she hits her near top speed, causing a multitude of elements to shoot into the air. Without missing a beat, Lupus follows suit, her expertise on disarming traps clicking in and the area quickly becomes safer and…

An arrow pierces her shoulder mid-disarming, which causes the trap to spring up and eat straight through her right arm. Where? How did no-one else notice the archer?! “Keaty!” She pulls back just enough to avoid a much more lethal second arrow that would have surely went through her head. She looks up to see a faintly visible archer readying another shot… some kind of invisible spell, but doesn’t make them all the way invisible, it’s almost like her vision is being distorted by water. She forms her shield and blocks the third arrow, though the material is dense enough to chip into it.

Keaty closes the distance, rips the bear trap in half and hauls Lupus away. The fifth arrow thunks several feet away from them, as the watery-ish archer falls to the ground, as he is sporting a new wooden appendage from his neck, courtesy of Seta. “I gotcha!” Elise exclaims as the wound is instantly closed, though her arm is still a bit numb. No, wait…

“Do you have anything for toxins?” Lupus slightly panics as she can’t make any partial shifting with that arm.

“Totvis…” Bella whispers as she forms some sort of needle with her hand, “Esn.” Without bothering to ask, Lupus extends her arm. “Fseop…” Bella hisses as the Magebane exits Lupus and enters her.

“Thank you, sister.” Lupus smiles as she can shift with that arm once more.

[Adapt… adapt.] Bella practically ignores her, [Move, I can… adapt it.] She glances up, forms her maw, then starts muttering other words.

“Alright, I’m back!” Silky slides to a stop. “Next?” The field beyond shows a ruined area of burning grass, patches of ice, electrically charged ground, dense purple mists… and a completely untouched Silky. “See? Easy, didn’t even need the Ward.”

“We’ll move forward, keep your focus really high, there are humans enchanted with some sort of… hazy magic that makes them hard to see. I’ll take care of the traps along the way…” The group moves on… keenly aware of the lack of Nycas being in sight…

* * *

The sound of battle echoed out, signaling the forward for the mage group. “We’re to make this quick. The sooner we get that Warp Rune down, the sooner we can aid the rest.” Leo states as he takes the lead.

“We’ll cover you, Lord Leo.” Queen Mikoto nods. “I have no personal experience in Warping.”

“N-Neither do I…” Sakura agrees.

“Ah-ha! That is because Warping is specifically of Nohrian origin!” Odin exclaims.

“Quiet, you buffoon.” Niles bites back, “Save your grandeur  **after**  we’re done with the sneaky-magic part.”

“I agree with Niles.” Leo nods, before the group falls silent.

“...Gate, two inside.” Utvseie warns. “Male… lots of metal, heavy armor. Female.”

“Only two?” Leo asks. That doesn’t sound right… he looks up at the wall, which is far too narrow to hold any watchtowers. What sort of defensive structure like this… lacks watchtowers?

“Walls are enchanted to nullify magic.” Mikoto speaks up, “I can handle that…” She draws a… magic-based Yumi?

“This is Nyx we’re talking about, we’re going to need…” As Leo started up, he could start to feel the magic pouring out of Mikoto, oh. Oh… it just occurred, in that moment, that Mikoto has more magic in her than she should have any right to. How?!

“The only peace here… is going to be made by force.” The tip of the arrow is shining with the infamous Magebane toxin. “Your time has come, monster.” The arrow is shot out with so much force that Mikoto staggers back. The magical barrier glimmers for a half second before it is outright overpowered and shattered. Some ‘poor’ soldier that was tasked to keeping it held still is now pinned to the stone wall… several feet behind him.

“Hm… it seems her milk also gives a temporary boost in magic…” She mutters. “Let’s go!”

“That was… amazing.” Sakura comments as they move forward, only to end up being greeted by the two behind the gate…

“Benny? Charlotte?” Leo asks as the two former retainers of his big brother stand guard. However, they don’t return the same pleasantries… in fact, Leo can easily pick up the pull of Dark Magic across them. He takes a half-second to close and open his eyes, raises one of his scrolls and… “Ox.” From the cards comes a bright red ox, charging ahead and… Benny steps in front of it, raises his shield, and it simply dissipates.

Benny’s shield is enchanted.

Alright think, think… Benny has a high physical defense, but now he also has enchantments for anti-magic, so… “Prepared for any situation.” Shing, Subaki pulls an Armorslayer from seemingly nowhere. “...Hana?” However, instead of wielding it himself, he offers the blade to Hana.

“You’re better off with it, I’ve never actually trained with an Armorslayer before, the weight will throw me off.” Hana denies it. “Besides, you learned from me, you’ll be fine.” A smile, before she lowers her stance and focuses on getting ready.

“...understood.” Subaki mirrors Hana.

“How touching,” Niles snidely remarks, “Now, how about we take care of those soldiers that look more like pasty drawings?” He fires an arrow past Benny and Charlotte, and a spurt of blood follows as an enchantment fails and a soldier just seems to appear from nothing.

The eldest sister of the brood wordlessly extends a lance arm mere inches behind Sakura, another gurgle of blood and a thump as an invisible soldier falls. “Surrounded.” She states. “Almost missed him.”

Gods, what kind of magic spell is this?! “Defensive formation! We need to clear out the surrounding ones before we push forward!” Leo orders. He knew it, just having a few at the gates felt… too easy. “Ox!” His eyes catch a blur in front of him and he fires another Ox spirit, this one slamming into this blur, which proves to be another soldier.

And, of course, as his group are dealing with the sudden influx of mostly-invisible soldiers, Benny and Charlotte close in, with a fair number of very-visible soldiers by their side. There’s no way Nyx would simply have this many in one spot. Did… did she really predict his plan so easily? He readies another Ox, but this time he is struck by one of those almost-unseen blades, which was aimed specifically for his scroll. The cards, and a portion of his gauntlet, is sliced. He winces in a half second before drawing his sword. How are there so many?!

Healing magic washes over Leo, and a moment passes before his assaulter is burnt to a crisp thanks to a burst of fire from Odin… Ragnarok. A true testament to his dramatic retainer’s skill that he can use such a spell with that much control. “Don’t drain yourself, Odin!”

“No worries, milord… I’m well aware of the limits presented to my body.” Odin pushes past the worry. “And now taste my signature spell… Eldritch Smackdown!” With a burst of pure arcane magic, two soldiers are literally piled into the ground with enough force to create an audible, and quite sickening, crunching sound.

“...I still wish you wouldn’t announce your attacks like that, Odin Black.” Niles mutters as he snipes another distant fighter.

“It’s Odin  **Dark** !”

“Focus you guys!” Hana exclaims. “Gods, how can you fight while talking so much?!”

“Years of experience, lady Samurai.” Niles remarks. “Both in battle and in bed.”

“Niles, Odin. Enough! Respect their wishes and stay quiet.” Leo snaps back as he pulls out his, admittedly weak, Fire tome. He should’ve brought another Scroll, especially considering just how light they are when compared to a tome. “Fire!”

“M-Move!” Sakura squeals out, readies a scroll that he personally hasn’t seen and… “Calamity!” A huge purple… head? Something that almost screams wrongness pops out of this scroll, which just doesn’t slam into, but plows  **through**  the soldiers with enough force to bring him along for the ride into a second one.

“Keep your scent down and focus.” Utvseie hisses as she steps in to block an axe strike from none other than Charlotte, she counters with a sword, but Benny weaves in to block it with his massive armor. She steps back and then thrusts, but Charlotte is now well beyond reach and Benny’s armor stops the second, he counters and his lance actually manages to bite into her scales, blood easily pours out. Then, to her surprise, she receives a second hit, despite Benny’s lance not moving…

“It’s enchanted to act as a Brave weapon.” Leo supplies. “Fire!” Once more, the fire simply dissipates onto Benny’s armor, not even raising it a few degrees. Damn it! He can’t do anything against that kind of enchantment with this weak tome!

Benny staggers back as Mikoto lands a shot, her ridiculous magical potential managing to eat through his enchantments. Unfortunately, this causes the giant man to redirect his attention, since she’s the only one who has actually landed a real hit, given Utvseie’s several failed attempts.

“Mother!” Sakura exclaims, though Subaki has stepped in to be the wall between him and her. Benny’s charge falters at the sight of the Armorslayer. Still… Benny has the upper hand with reach and with his lance enchanted to act as a Brave, it’ll only take a few direct hits to down Subaki, with his lighter Samurai armor.

Leo turns and blocks Charlotte’s axe… except that her strength ends up overpowering his sword… easily snapping it in half. Without wasting a beat, she follows up, he suffers his second hit of the fight, axe ripping straight through his armor and into his chest. Odin lets out a pained yell as he falls… archer and… “Archer. Magebane.” Utvseie announces.

Oh, that’s not good. If that archer manages to get Leo, they might as well kiss their mission goodbye, since he’s really the only one who can properly disrupt a Warp Rune. “I’m looking, but I’m not seeing…” Niles scowls.

“I got ya!” Hana deflects Charlotte’s axe, before landing one, two… even three hits by the time Charlotte recovers, and even then Hana is already out of range when the next slice comes in. Leo takes that window to fire another… Fire spell and it lands true, burning the woman’s skin.

“ **Ah** !” Sakura screams as something slices into her legs… no, no. The soldier that was lying ‘dead’ near her wasn’t so dead after all…

Undying.

Sakura falls… heavily crippled, but not dead. That soldier had gotten the ‘best’ area to hit, her feet’s tendons. “Daughter!” Mikoto shouts, readying her Festal, but is unable to get to her due to Benny still managing to push Subaki back, which in turn pushes Mikoto back.

“Utvseie, can you dissolve those corpses?” Leo asks. He would turn them to ashes, but it would take so much extra magic from this Fire tome…

“Milord…” Odin staggers as he gets struck, the Magebane has weakened him to the point where even his sword training did nothing to help him.

“I spy… a dead archer.” Niles mutters as he picks off an enemy archer. “Hopefully that’s our guy.”

Should he have brought another person or two? He hadn’t expected this much resistance, but apparently Nyx had outdone both him and Princess Corrin in this regard. He hadn’t realized she had this many soldiers and this much enchantments to spread around.

Utvseie cries out as she’s struck by Charlotte, but she doesn’t recover immediately, something seems to be distracting her. “Pu…” She mutters in Draconic, then sniffs the air.

“Focus!”

“That’s… no.” Whatever has caught her attention is truly grasping her, something emotional, given the tears, “I know that scent, it… but…” She fails to block a second hit from Charlotte, and it’s only thanks to Hana that she doesn’t go down with the third.

“Damn it, we need you to focus!”

A roar echoes out, but this didn’t come from her. “Nyx has a…”

“Another skeletal dragon?” Leo finishes. “We can’t handle…” He stops as he sees her expression pale.

“No, no no no…” She cries out. “Please let the scent be faked, I…”

“By the gods, what is wrong with you?!” Leo fires another spell.

Her voice cracks out with something that almost brought her to her knees, “She has… her bones the whole time?” A pause.

“Who?”

“...Mother.”

* * *

Qsoeqat and Hera arrived from a different angle, with the latter in her dragon form. The reason these two are alone are simple… for one, due to the ‘soul’ issue, they are practically inseparable. The second, and much more significant reason is that Hera is absolutely  **packed**  with magic, and she is holding little reserves. It would be a huge hindrance to have her in a full group. “Jise.” He states as they approach one of the walls.

[Dark-Fire.] And due to her experiments, she’s also packing her own style of magic, primarily fueled by Dark Magic, mixed in with her Wild Magic. A Fireball tinted in pure black shoots out, all but obliterating that portion of the wall. [Make her pay…] She mutters. [I will take everything from her.]

[Don’t become too focused, other threats.] He counters as they move forward.

[If I had offspring waiting… she’d make excellent nourishment for your young.] Hera darkly comments.

[Then as far as I’m concerned, you can have her for yourself.] He smiles.

[You don’t…?]

[I just want her dead… besides. If you consume, then she can better fuel my young.] He states. [So, yes… you eat her, all of her.]

She licks her lips. [All of her…] She echoes. The two enter the side of the area, noting the lack of reinforcements, guards… anything, really. Aside from the distant scents of the other groups and their conflicts, there isn’t really anything over here. Of course, that does nothing for their instincts. They  **know**  something is going to happen, it’s just a matter of finding out what. [Search?]

[Slowly.] He nods. [Towards main group.] The two do just that, inch towards the direction of Lupus and her group. Step, step, nothing, empty.

[Mate?] It struck them on what’s going on… familiarity. They can’t rely on instinct right now, because that spell is in the air. The same spell that caused Hera to get trapped and become an experiment, the spell that caused Qsoeqat to almost suffer the same fate. The spell that can inhibit instinct. Hera cries out as a dagger embeds itself into one of her legs, while Qsoeqat is just skimmed by a second dagger.

And behind them? Two women that look almost identical, one with light pink hair, the other with light blue hair, both dressed as ‘Maids’. Hera lets out a quick roar, then readies a spell. Qsoeqat charges, shifting into his dragon form mid-way. He performs a wide spin, horns and tail outstretched, causing the two women to back away. Hera unleashes a black-fire ball at the blue-hair one, who… takes it head on, not much more than a sizzle.

The amount of resistance that takes…

He lashes out at the pink one, scoring a rather deep cut, so… low defense, high resistance. He moves for a second, only to receive a deep gash of his own, the blue hair managed to slice into his scales with little issue, almost as if her dagger is a Wyrmslayer. Qsoeqat readies a water stream, stomps the ground, and fires. While the pink hair dodged that one, it left her open for a particularly brutal spell from Hera. [Annihilate…] The spell comes out as a beefy ray of raw magic, capable of ripping through any…

She comes out of it with not much more than some charred skin and several open wounds. [What?] He growls, how?!

[That little…] Hera readies a third spell, raising the bar even higher. This time, her dragon form pulses with the Dark Magic it holds, [Obliterate.] She opens her maw and fires off a single ball of Wild Magic, overcharged with Dark Magic… Pink hair finds the time to dodge and it slams into a building, causing a massive explosion that consumed the entire building and about two other ones near it, all that’s left is a single crater. [I’ve had it…]

[Mate.] He calls her out before she starts slipping out of control. [Just support me.] A roar echoes afterwards as the skeletal wyvern swoops in and rips into the blue hair one, muscle and meat are cleaved off with ease. Blue hair falters and Qsoeqat kicks her with his hind legs, broken ribs follow as she staggers backwards. Pink hair goes to strike him, but this time there is a shimmering barrier over him, the dagger ends up doing nothing, but he rears his front legs and slams into her. He readies his horns and…

Pain, his body stiffens. [Paralyze.]

[Harvester…] Hera growls as Nyx walks up.

[What a shame…] Nyx smirks, [Oh, how perfect this is… my favored experiment has oh so obediently returned to me. Paralyze.] Hera’s body locks up, [And you… Ashes.] A third spell casted with so little ease and the skeletal wyvern turns to just that, ashes. [Felicia, Flora. Front lines, Lupus.] A few more gestures and their wounds start mending. The two Maids run off and Nyx approaches the two draconic beings. [You know… it’s quite easy to counter plans when you hear what they are planning…] She moves over to Hera, [So, thank you.] She raises her hand in front of the pure-blooded dragon, [Return to your new home, I’ll be sure to properly reward you…] Magic leaves Nyx and into Hera, [You as well, I can bring so many uses out of hatchlings…] She turns towards Qsoeqat and does the same. [Especially… especially after I’ve found out just how useful hybrids can be.] Their bodies move against their own will, [Who knew that the answer to my problems would be that I needed half-dragons?] She giggles… [Oh, and raise your nose to the sky, dear half-dragon. It would be disrespectful to ignore your bloodline…]

* * *

Lupus and her group has entered the complex itself, now that the front area is cleared of traps. It took longer than she wanted, but it’s for the best. There have been a few stray injuries due to some incredibly well-hidden traps that even Lupus failed to stop, but ultimately A Lady Elise had healed those wounds. Bella, who drained the Magebane toxin out of Lupus, is doing rather well, apparently she can ‘adapt’ toxins that she has drained and repurpose them for herself.

Essentially, she can have her body produce whatever toxin she has put into her blood. However, this effect isn’t immediate, and since this is the first time she’s trying to emulate Magebane, it’s taking longer than normal.

“Men, to arms!” Across from Lupus’s group and in the center of this place, a man in black armor sits on an armored horse.

[Silas?] Bella whispers, conflicted. [But...he’s nice.]

“A lot of bad magic,” Silky supplies. “That icky Dark Magic…” Then, he’s being controlled?

“Sister?” Vella asks, ready and eager.

“Need to get to Nyx.” Dadaan mutters.

“Don’t know and don’t care for him, better off fighting to kill.” Keaty states.

[But…] Bella starts, and Seta lets out a high-pitched whistle, no doubt signaling the ‘hit and run’ squad.

Lupus gulps, “If Silas lives, he lives. Don’t hold back.” She ends up ordering. A pause… Then Silas pulls out one of the last things she wanted to see… no, not a Wyrmslayer, a Beast Killer. Keaty almost faltered, but he manages to keep his composure. However, that wasn’t the end of it… the soldiers he’s commanding, at least a few of them, pull out similar specialized weapons. Beast Killers, Wyrmslayers.

“Princess Lupus?” Elise hesitantly asks, trying and failing to calm her own horse.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe, my liege.” Effie stands in front of her, which surprisingly manages to calm her horse.

“As will I!” Arthur proclaims.

“ **Fire** !” A distant shout as a rain of arrows, various spells… and a single javelin soon strike Silas’s group, thanks to Reina and the others. Azama is the source of the javelin. Unfortunately, all that really occurred are a lot of ‘tinks’ and a spells that fizzled out. Of course they’re reinforced with magic and enchantments…

[Back up!] Lilith, a bit late, swoops in. [Cataclysm.] From her being, an intense wave of heat forms, masterfully directed towards Silas and the others. One, two, three pulses and the magic is unleashed. The ground in front of Lilith cracks and ruptures, lava rising at a dangerous rate. The lava then rises out of the ground and she fires a single, relatively small, fireball at them. This fireball is blocked as if it was nothing, but that wasn’t the purpose of the fireball. A small glowing rune has formed on Silas’s shield, and no more than two seconds passed before it was clear what kind of rune this was…

All of the floating lava was sent flying in his general direction. Every single soldier who was unlucky enough to get caught now has a glob of molten hot lava stuck to them, sizzling down their body. Except Silas. Whatever enchantments he has on him are strong enough to keep him from boiling alive like the rest. Which is enough to surprise Lilith, to say the least.

Yet, right as they, or at least the non beastfolk of the group, were going to finish him off, two more women showed up, “Felicia? Flora?” Lilith asks. “Dark Magic…” She then mutters.

“Silas…” Effie states. “Why him? He’s a good guy.”

“Silas~!” Elise exclaims, “Come on, don’t make us fight you!”

“Forget it, he’s under her control.” Lilith coldly says. “Lupus?”

Think think… “Wolfskin and Silky, on the Maids. Keep them from healing. The rest on Silas. If he draws a Wyrmslayers, dragons will move to Maids.” Lupus calls out, this ‘tactical’ stuff just… clicking. With her orders out, they move forward. Silas stands… erm, sits tall on his horse, eyes scanning each of them, and that’s when it happened.

The first thing that was off is that Bella faltered, and Lupus wasn’t exactly sure why until a few seconds passed. A roar echoes out, and a scent enters the air, [I… no, it…] Bella’s voice cracks.

“Sister?”

[That scent, it’s…] Tears roll down her face as she trembles, [Mother.] Wait, wait…

“Mother?” Lupus echoes. “But, you said she…”

Her statement was interrupted by a huge crash in the ground. A massive skeletal dragon now stands between Silas and them, and to make things worse? As if all of this wasn’t bad enough? [Ztisepzy… Cimmefuppe.] This dragon can talk. [My daughters.] Genuine maternal affection rests in her voice. [You’ve grown up very well.]

“Lupus! Don’t listen to her!” Lilith exclaims, “Nyx recreated her!”

Yet, to Lilith’s surprise… [She’s correct. I won’t deny it. She’s given me free will… to an extent, yet I can’t do anything about it.] To further add to the surprise, she lies down. [A chance to see the daughter I had let my mate raise.]

“Sister?” Vella growls.

[Keep them halted, daughter. I will only have this free reign if no-one attacks.] Lupus hesitates… truth? Lies? Nycas has proven to be able to change perceptions, this could be… no, this is a trap, but…

“Stay still, let us talk.” She decides. “She… mother has enough free will to talk as long as no fights start.”

“You can’t possibly…”

“Let. Us. Talk.” Emotions well up as Lupus snaps back. “She’s my mother.”

“Was.” Lupus doesn’t care who’s talking right now.

[Mother…] Lupus breathes.

[We thought she…] Bella trails off.

[She left my bones alone, she stored my soul for later use…] Mother supplies, [Everything else was used.] A groan, [I see you wield a sword, Cimmefuppe.]

Bella looks at the ‘Yato’, which is apparently a ‘Divine Weapon’. [I did. It let me save sister.]

[You and Utvseie always had the best in mind for the brood.] A slow nod. [All of my daughters turned out that way, it seems…] She turns her skeletal head towards Lupus, and while there are no eyes, she knows she is looking directly at her, [Your youth was well spent?]

Lupus looked away for a moment, [I was taken away from father, who was killed. But…] She glanced at the Wolfskin, before returning to look at mother with a smile, [A Wolfskin pack raised me, and I was eventually able to return to my family… and as much as it hurt, I wouldn’t have it any other way.]

[Yes, I can see beastfolk, human, and dragons together… your doing?]

[No…  **our**  doing. I simply helped laid the foundation for good relations.] Lupus smiles. Despite the clear wrongness of this situation, she can’t help but feel… relief. Yes, her mother is being controlled, but she’s being allowed enough leeway for her first and final visit. However, in the back of Lupus’s mind, she’s trying to figure out what will happen after this talk is over. Right now, only her mother, Silas, and those two Maids are still nearby. No Nycas or anyone else. No new traps.

[Why did you choose father, specifically?]

A chuckle, [I traveled the lengths of Hoshido, asking for who was the ‘most skilled fighter’. While there were many answers, the most common one was the King of Hoshido… a Swordmaster named Sumeragi, someone who wields the divine weapon Rajinto.]

[And you went to him?] Bella asks.

A nod, [I did.]

[Then you mated?] Lupus.

[No. I challenged him to a duel. Actions speak louder than words, I wanted to experience it for myself. During the duration of most of the duel, I remained in my human form, but the duel ended up becoming so intense that I let my dragon form slip… but even then it didn’t stop. I’m unsure of how long it lasted, but we went until he tired out. I suffered some rather grievous wounds by the end. He impressed me with his strength, his endurance, and I decided that if I had to mate with a human, then he’d be the one. I made a simple deal, and all he asked in return was a single egg.]

[Me.] Lupus supplies.

Another nod, [I only asked that he keep your draconic bloodline a secret. And so… that’s what happened. I was bred, I laid my half-dozen batch of eggs, and he brought one back to raise.] Her mood drops, a true feat, considering that she’s only soul and bones, [I raised the other five for about a decade and…]

[ **She**  came.] Bella interrupts with a quaking voice.

[I had you all leave and I fought her. Daughters? There was very little competition. Nyx knows far too much, despite my years, despite my magic… she easily overpowered me. She was able to counter my magic, she could completely silence me. Here I was, a dragon with over five-thousand years to me… left helpless like a whelping.] A sigh leaves her bony mouth, [And now here I am… resurrected after almost another entire ten years, left to have one final conversation with the daughter I haven’t raised.]

A cruel fate, indeed… [I love you, mother.] Lupus finally says, [But… you’ll be glad to know that Mikoto is also a very good mother. She did well.]

[I… can’t say I know love, being a pure-blooded dragon…] Mother scoffs at ‘blooded’, [I’m glad you’re well.] She extends her claw some, [One last thing? Could I at least feel your touch?] Lupus eyes the massive claw. Despite the emotional reunion, her senses are started to become alarmed. This would make a perfect opportunity for Nycas to take over and have her impaled. [Daughter?]

Lupus takes a step forward, then stops… “Lilith?” She says in the human tongue.

“Understood…”

And once again, to their surprise, the brood’s mother gives an approving nod, [Thank you. I see you’ve been raised with much awareness, too…] Mother rises from her lying position and stretches out, [Now, please… don’t think of me as your mother. And… please win. I don’t want you to end up as more materials.] Her body pulses with Dark Magic and the ‘motherly’ feeling leaves. She roars, no… not she.  **It**  roars.

[Sister? Let’s… let’s free her.] Bella resolves as she crouches, Yato in one hand, a shifted maw in the other.

Lupus nods, [It was nice to meet you, mother… and I hope you’ll find peace after this.] Tears dried, she readies her usual set-up, lance and maw. “Focus down the Maids, I want a few to keep Silas occupied. Protect Lilith so she can undo what Nycas has done to mother. Go!”

* * *

Leo staggers back, all that remains are Benny and Charlotte, but his side has suffered just as many… no dead, thankfully, but he and Mikoto are the only magic-users not injected with Magebane. Niles has been simply bashed unconscious. Benny is suffering a number of wounds and armor gaps, and his enchantments are finally starting to fail. Charlotte is in a much worse condition, though she still stands. “Your Highness…” Leo nods. Utvseie had fallen earlier, completely weakened by Benny’s fortitude… again, alive, but unconscious.

“Take a breath and focus… we can still win.” She assures him.

“So optimistic.” A surge of Dark Magic enters the air as  **Nyx**  approaches. “Prince Leo, one of the most intelligent humans to have ever existed. Queen Mikoto, paragon of peace.”

Mikoto readies her Yumi, but holds. “Nyx.” Leo firmly responds.

“I’m honestly saddened you didn’t pursue Soul Magic more…” She comments.

“Curiosity sparked and I had a chance… I regret opening that tome and I wish I could undo that moment.”

“A true shame, I had hoped your pursuit for knowledge would entice a need for more… an incorrect assumption.” She frowns.

A moment passes before the implication settle in, “Wait.”

“I left that tome for you, applied a little magic and you went straight for it.” She admits, “Why… you could have had so much more.”

“Soul Magic is forbidden for a reason. It seems even your spells weren’t enough to override those warnings.” He scoffs, “I have morals, after all.”

“Hm…” Nyx hums. “Your loss, Lord Leo. I have just acquired a fine pair of specimens… it’s a shame you won’t be there for them.”

No… “We’re going to save them.”

She giggles, “Oh yes, you can save  **them** , but not  **him** .” She waves her hand as magic forms, “I conveniently had this vengeance-fueled half-dragon storm into one of my facilities. He wrecked everything I had in there, but…” She smiles, sick and predatory, “The outcome is simple, I now have everything he has. Perhaps you would like to see the results?” She casually waves at Benny and Charlotte, “Forward against the primary targets. Make sure the dragons live… and don’t get crushed by my dragon… she isn’t seeing sides.” The two once-border guards and recent retainers leave. Gods… if Nyx is willing to take Leo and Mikoto by herself, then she’s confident she can win.

Mikoto fires her arrow and Nyx does something Leo truly wasn’t expecting… she raises her arm and, by the gods, a  **scale shield**  formed… just like the one Lupus can make. Mikoto’s magical arrow thuds against it… nothing, not even a scratch. “G-Gods…”

“How simple it was to split your army into multiple groups. Lord Leo? There is no Warp Rune here, your group’s efforts are wasted. Qsoeqat and Hera are mine, secluded. Most of your group has fallen, and now Lupus and her group are dealing with Benny, Charlotte, Felicia, Flora, and…” She pauses, “A reanimated dragon that this half-dragon brood knows as their mother. Face it, you’ve lost.” She smiles. “And it’s all thanks to letting my sweet experiment taking part of your meeting.”

Wait… Hera was used as a… gods! Leo scowls… all he has for offense is a simple Fire tome, with his sword broken and… a pulse. He takes a breath and calms himself. “We won’t fall so easily, Nyx.” He proclaims, tossing the tome to his side. Gods only know it took long enough for it to recognize things… “Brynhildr!” His preferred magic comes out unleashed and the magical roots managed to rip past Nyx’s defenses.

“Ngh… so. Your Divine Weapon heeds your call again?” She pushes past the pain with little effort. “No matter. I’ve already accumulated more than enough magic. The scale shield fades and she raises her arm, “Rupture.”

“Move, move!” Leo shouts as the ground below them starts cracking and splitting…

* * *

By a stroke of what can only be pure luck… Silas had been mortally wounded due to collateral damage by mo… erm. The skeletal dragon. Felicia and Flora are also sporting some hefty injuries, though that’s due to Keaty, Dadaan, and Seta. Even the recent arrivals of the wounded Benny and Charlotte ended up taking some hefty hits. The only ‘real’ threat right now is the dragon, and despite being told and resolved to…

Lupus still can’t get herself to go all out against the dragon. It had to have been part of Nycas’s plan… Lupus can’t get it out of her head that she’s fighting her birth mother. The birth mother she’s never known. “Ngh…” That doesn’t mean the dragon is giving them the same treatment, as Lupus already has several large scars, gashes made by the dragon that have been healed by A Lady Elise. “Lilith!” Lupus cries out. “I can’t…”

[Magic is strong… takes time to undo.] Lilith breathes, as even she is getting worn out.

[Sister…] Bella stumbles back. [Can’t… keep up.]

“Foxfire… Nullify!” Silky shouts as her Foxfire orbs speed to the dragon, causing a… field of nullification, though all it really does is slow down the dragon some.

[If Hera was here, this would’ve been over with already!] Lilith huffs.

A new scent soon comes, or at least… it’s ‘new’, but Lupus can still recognize it. [Waste of life energies…] A half-dragon that looks just like Lupus, except this is a male.

[Brother.] Bella breathes in. [Middle brother. She’s…]

[I can smell the scent… I don’t care. Mother’s dead.] He spits back in an emotionless tone. [Fools, being so connected to emotion. I’ll rip the life out as I would anyone else…] He forms his maw and snaps at the dragon’s bones.

[Inhibit!] Lilith exclaims as magical shackles start wrapping around the large dragon.

[Your energies… are mine.] The middle brother climbs up and around to the skull. [Siphon, take.] With a show of force, he forms a mace with his other hand and cracks it. [Mine.] The rest crumbles as he shoves his maw in, causing the skeletal dragon to slow down even more… even Lupus can feel the ‘life’ leaving it.

“Woo-hoo!” Elise exclaims. “Alright, I’m gonna get everyone up and ready!”

“Nycas?” Lupus asks as waves of healing magic are passed around. “And where is A Lord Leo’s group? Quacker’s? Reina?”

Middle brother tilts his head, [Smelled three on that side…] He gestures towards the direction of the ‘back’ entrance… A Lord Leo’s group, [and that’s it.]

Right as he said that, a burst of magic pulses around the area and she sees an injured Nycas running away from… A Lord Leo? He has his special tome in hand. “Coward!” He shouts.

“Big broooother~!” Elise echoes out.

He takes immediate notice, “If you’ve the moment, there are heavy injuries in my group!” He approaches with incredible haste… alone. “Thankfully, no deaths, but… Nyx knew about the assault, she used Hera as an eavesdropping device. She’s taken her and Qsoeqat away… and has managed to teleport Utvseie out. Queen Mikoto is barely holding on, as every mage in my group is suffering from Magebane. We…”

Bella walks up to him, “I can… siphon.” She starts moving forward.

“I’ll be there in less than a minute!” Elise assures him.

“We need to strike at Nyx, she’s injured… and she’s probably carving a Warp Rune right now.” Leo states.

“I’ll go.” Lupus says.

[I will.] Middle brother.

“Is there anyone else readily available?” Leo asks.

“There’s been a lot of blood loss, brother.” Elise supplies, “Staves can heal wounds…”

“But can’t restore blood and stamina, I know. Fine. We’ll keep Nyx busy, send more when they’re capable.” Leo looks at each of them. “Let’s move.”

* * *

It didn’t take long to get to Nycas, but there was a problem the second Lupus entered the room. A ward. Another trap? Was the ‘retreat’ just a… “Half...dragon.” Across the room is a… mostly well Nyx. She has a few cuts and burns, but nothing that speaks of major injuries. “Ugh, I won’t be able to round up all of you… but half is good enough for now.” Lupus glances behind her, A Lord Leo is working on the barrier. “I hope you enjoyed your meeting.” She scoffs.

“You used mother…” Lupus forms her lance and maw. “You…”

She stops as Nycas  **copies**  her. “Impressed?” She can see a smile. “All I needed was a half-dragon.”

She lowers her stance and growls, “Brother…”

“Don’t worry, you won’t find him anywhere… I made sure to use every last speck of blood.” She mirrors her stance, “Think of it like this… when I win, you’ll be reunited with him… and then the rest can join you.” Her face turns stern, “Shall we?” Lupus moves in first, readies a swing from her lance, but shifts it to a mace midway. Nycas sidesteps it and thrusts, Lupus deflects it with her maw, shifts it into a sword and counters, she blocks it with a shield. [Freeze.] A blast of cold leave Nycas’s form, greatly hindering Lupus, the Dark Mage managed a total of three slices, each deeper than the last, before kicking Lupus away. “I know everything you can do… I know every last draconic weakness and strength… and thanks to that half-dragon, I can say the same for your hybrid nature. You are mine.”

Lupus spits up some blood, so cold… “No, you don’t… I wasn’t raised like the rest.” She charges again, dodges several different swings, returns her own… and is stopped again.

[Revert.] With a single word, Lupus’s sword and mace fades. “Your bloodline is no different.” Nycas raises a hand, [Paralyze.] How does she have so much magic left?! Lupus’s body locks up. “I’ll think I’ll let in that other half-dragon in…” She stoops down and smiles, “Hm, maybe I can get the rest of the brood now. I honestly didn’t realize my magic is  **this**  effective.” She stands up, [Stand.] Against her own will, Lupus stands. There has to be a way to… wait. Nycas is using magic that is specifically attuned to dragons, right? So, what if… [Kneel.] Lupus is forced to comply. “Take your last few breaths of free will, because you are about to become  **mine** .”

Lupus forces the rest of the partial shifting away, and just like that… the magic ‘faded’. Well, it was still there, but it wasn’t  **as**  powerful. “My name is Lupus, born half-dragon, half-human…” She slams Nycas in the gut with her knee with a quickness that she wasn’t expecting. “Raised by Wolfskin…” She shove her to the side grabs her Dragonstone… and throws it to the side. “And you. Don’t. Know. Me.” Pushing through the pain, Lupus charges and simply punches her.

If Nycas can counter any  **draconic**  means of fighting, then Lupus is just going to have to go back to her ‘roots’... the way she fought before she even asked for a sword in the pack she was raised in… unarmed, pure-human. “Ngh… stubborn little…” Nycas readies another spell, [Freeze!]

Lupus takes the brunt of the spell, but with her draconic heritage suppressed… it honestly just feels like a cool breeze. “You know dragons, but you don’t know humans as well.” She charges, dodges a summoned sword and kicks Nycas, though she blocks it with her scale shield.

“And you’re nothing without that heritage!” A sword slash connects… and without her scales, Lupus takes a huge hit from it. No scales, she doesn’t have any real armor because she always relied on those scales. “You may tap into your human blood to resist my Wild Magic, but you leave yourself exposed!” Lupus dodges the next slash and slams a foot onto her chest. “Your attacks are weak!  **Humans are weak** !” For emphasis, Nycas unshifts her sword and punches Lupus, some bones crack. “Give it up, you’ve lost! I will harvest you!” Hand to lance and Nycas scores another.

Lupus staggers back, weakened. Think, think. “Ngh…” If she could just use a sword, or any human weapon, because Nycas is right… she can’t use her fists and feet to damage something that can deflect iron and steel.

“A testament to the survival instinct… but meaningless in the end.” Nycas readies her sword, “Die.” She charges in…

Lupus hears a faint ‘swoosh’ as an arrow barely grazes her, but lands straight onto Nycas and… she  **screams**  out in pain. A quick glance back… mother. Erm, her human mother. Mikoto staggers back with a pained scream of her own… she used magic, while being afflicted by Magebane… to inflict Nycas with Magebane? Did… Bella not get to mother yet? Lupus shakes her head, not now.

“Tch… I won’t be outdone by some… botched byproduct!” Nycas scowls, casts some magic… and her pain seems to fade. “Magebane is nothing more than a failed result from one of my experiments!” She rounds on Lupus, “And it will not keep me from having you!” She raises her hand, “Fire!” A fireball is sent Lupus’s way, but… it is far weaker. Still, she dodges it and closes the distance.

Without the scales, Lupus’s incoming punch is felt with full force. Nycas staggers back. She follows up with a knee, then picks her up and slams her onto the ground. “And you’re nothing without your stolen enchantments… I don’t need magic to break rock. I don’t need magic to snap spines and necks.” Lupus growls. “My human body is naturally strengthened by my draconic heritage, and  **that**  is something you can’t seem to copy.” Pop, pop… Lupus dislocates both of Nycas’s arms. “And for this time… this time only. I’m going to let my dragon side take over. You are not getting a clean death, Nycas…” The last thing that crosses Lupus’s mind is an angered roar, the world turns dark for her human side.

Besides, Lilith can bring her back from a feral state.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I… don’t have anything to say. I mean, this is where I usually just sorta summarize and give some extra thoughts on the scenes in the chapter, but… not this time.
> 
> With Nyx dead, all that leaves is the ‘post-war’ chapters. There will be a few more chapters that will wrap up the remaining plot threads and that’ll be it… erm, let me clarify a bit. Once the remaining plot threads are done, I’m marking this as ‘complete’... however! There are other bits and pieces I want to pursue after that, like relationships and new child units, as well as extra drama and other bits. These will be posted in a separate fic. It’ll be like an… outtake sort of fic.
> 
> Anyway… see ya next chapter!


	76. Peace Time, At Last

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *points finger* I blame Fire Emblem: Three Houses for my delays. I started the game wanting Bernie, but I ended up desiring Petra… #Petrabestromance!
> 
> Erm, anyway… without one of my main strengths still going on, that is to say the combat and the war and all that angsty stuff, I suppose it’s only natural things are gonna slow down. I’ll just cover a few more chapters, mark this as ‘complete’, and have another fic for some random ideas and one-shots that’ll be post ‘Corrin, of the Wolfskin’.
> 
> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako.
> 
> Silky refers to Lupus = Lu-pu. Utvseie = Feisty.
> 
> Qsoeqat = Quacker. Belladonna = Bella or Cimmefuppe = Kim.

 

Lupus awakens with a startle… in a clinic tent, and well aware of how she probably got here. The first thing she does is look around, before noticing a thumping feeling  **on**  her chest… whew. A new necklace with a clasp for her new-ish Dragonstone. Safety, security… she can feel the effects calm her dragon. She then looks at her hands… cleaned. Her whole body has been scrubbed down. The idea of being so bloody sickens her…

The idea of Nycas being the one who was beaten so brutally fills her with pride. The one who harvested dragons… killed her mother… harvested the eldest brother… is now dead. Despite that, a frown forms. She hasn’t even met the eldest brother, and the only memories she has of her mother was the meeting with her bones and her soul. But, Nycas is dead, so they’re avenged…

A fact that does nothing to hit a distinct new emptiness. A ‘need’ for revenge, find more like her, kill the rest who would dare… no! No, no no! Going out like that would be a hindrance, it would risk the pack, her family, the brood. So no, the only way more blood will be shed like that is if  **they**  cross  **her**  territory.

“Oh hey! Look who’s up!” Lupus tilts her head at the new person… though she does have a heavy scent of Saku on her.

“Who are you?”

The woman gasps, “I am Princess Elise of Nohr… and super-best-friend to Lady Sakura!” She offers a huge smile, “You had us worried, y’know… even I know it’s a bad idea to shift without a Stone… and I can’t even shift!”

“Dragons are the only ones who can be brought back from a Feral state,” Lupus echoes what Lilith told her, “That’s why I let myself lose control.” And… to give Nycas the proper treatment for what she’s done, because even now, even knowing the crimes she’s committed… Lupus couldn’t bring herself to beat her down as a human.

She frowns for a moment, “Oh yeah!” And it immediately turns back into a smile, “Lady Sakura, Bella, and I all played a lot of games a few days ago.”

“Games?” A groan echoes out and Lupus finally looks around the clinic properly… there are quite a few people here, actually.

“Uh-huh… oh, and thanks to your awesome sister, nobody here is hurting from the Magebane Toxin.” Hesitation, “But… Bella is unconscious, I think she took in more than her body was capable.” She points a few cots over.

Lupus slowly gets up out of the cot… “Sister?” She calls out, while Elise is giving Lupus a very ‘healer’ stare to make sure nothing happens. “Hey, Bella?” She crouches next to the cot.

“...” Bella groans, though her eyes are open and her mouth moves… she can’t hear anything.

Lupus clears her throat, “Dep zua tqiel?”

[Too much toxins.] The middle brother of the brood walks in, completely disregarding Elise’s protests. [She can’t actually talk right now.] He sounds so… emotionless. [Can’t believe she hurt herself like that for those humans.]

[They’re  **friends** !] Lupus rounds on him.

[Hmph.] He huffs as he crouches in front of her. [For you.]

“...” Bella opens her mouth, and she can only hear the tiniest of sounds… nothing she can understand though.

[Middle brother, right?]

[Nalaptijep.] He replies. [Cimmefuppe, I brought in a paralyzed deer for you.]

[Food?] Lupus asks.

He shakes his head, [No, so she can get rid of extra toxins in her.] Bella nods in response, [Need to leave soon.]

[What? Why?!]

[ **She**  teleported rest of brood away, need to find them.]

[Nycas?]

[Don’t care for name.] He gets up, [...hungry.] He gripes.

Lupus tilts her head, [Are you okay? Brother?]

He looks away for a moment, [I’m going to Cimmefuppe her dear, and I’m leaving to eat.] He walks…

[Sister?] She turns towards Bella, before distinctly remembering that she can’t talk at all right now, [Ugh, alright… I’ll go… find out more about getting our family back.] She resolves with a nod. “A Lady Elise?”

“A-yep, Princess Corrin?” She responds while rubbing some salve on Mikoto’s unconscious body.

“My name is Lupus.” She flatly states.

“Oh really? Princess Belladonna says your birth name is Yseranyx.” She turns around and winks.

“I’d rather be called Lupus.”

“Hm… sure. Okay, so… Princess…”

“Please don’t say ‘Princess’ with Lupus.”

Elise lets out an almost unlady-like huff… almost. “Lady Lupus.”

“Just Lupus.”

She hums, then raises a finger, “On one condition… we gotta be besties.”

“Besties?” Lupus echoes.

“Yeah! Best friends!” She giggles. “You, Sakura, Bella, and me!” She extends a gloved arm, “So… besties?”

Lupus gives in with a smile, “Okay… besties.” She responds in kind with an extended arm… a handshake.

“Woo-hoo!” A Lady Elise hops in place, while still holding Lupus’s hand. “Oh, this is gonna be so much fun, Lupus!” Another gasp, “I gotta let Sakura know about this… like…” She stops, then looks around, before returning to face Lupus with a sheepish smile, “After I finish making sure everyone here is A-okay.”

* * *

“Puv eheop…” Qsoeqat watches as Hera wills her magic, outright incinerating the undying human in front of her.

[We’ll get out soon…] He whispers to his unconscious big sister, Utvseie.

Hera’s small draconic body pulses with latent Dark Magic as she snarls, [Incinerate!] Another blast of black-fire is sent out of her mouth, causing the next one to crumble into ashes. [Never again…] She pauses mid-cast, then looks at Qsoeqat. The fire fades and her magic falls, the blackness in her eyes grow, [I…]

[We need to get out, can you focus on that?] Her eyes dart around… ugh, not now! [Hera! Focus!]

[Trying.] Her breathing shortens. [It’s getting… cold again.]

He looks from his sister to Hera, before all but stomping over, [Listen you, we are  **not**  going to be trapped here. You are  **not**  empty!] He snags her by the arm and growls. [Now, neither of us has the same raw magic as you do, so get all of us out of here!]

A pause, before she nods… some more of the forest green returning. [R-Right…] Hera turns towards one of the walls and starts pooling her magic.

Satisfied, Qsoeqat returns to his sister. He was barely able to do anything for her once she was teleported here in the battered state she was in. Utvseie is literally the only one in the brood who has actively pursued healing, magical or natural. He figured enough to stop the bleeding, but he doesn’t know what herbs do what, he doesn’t know  **any**  healing spells.

And it’s this ignorance that could potentially end up causing the brood to lose her. [Sister…] He whimpers, afraid to simply try and hold her. What if a wound opens up again? How much blood can she afford to lose? Infections? Diseases? How dangerous is the air around them for her?

The room shakes as Hera blasts a hole through one of the walls, a trail of black-fire and smoke. [There…] She falls to the ground, [Tired.] Looking around, he can’t blame her…

She expended enough magic to turn about a half-dozen undying into ashes, then proceeded to blast a hole large enough to fit a few shifted Wolfskin through. [We’ll rest… then leave.] He nods, more to himself. He turns back towards the pure-blooded dragon… to most, her scales are a sickening purple, a testament to the Dark Magic that was forced into her. Her blackened eyes are empty, and her attitude towards humans is terrible at best.

To him? She’s probably one of the best mates to have. At a glance, he thinks her magic is better than Zimipe’s, her resilience is much better.

Qsoeqat walks up, then lies down next to Hera, but for once… he pushes past his draconic needs. Sure, he’d like to just give in and breed her, but he’d also really like to just feel some comfort right now. [Hera…] He whispers. [Hold.] He wraps his arms around the still shifted dragon, and pulls her closer, her back to his front.

[Huh?] And of course, she’s confused.

[After a nap, just hold for now.] He assures her.

[Mating?]

[No, not now… this is a human thing.] He assures her. [I’m still half-dragon, after all.]

[...Okay.] Reluctantly, she moves one of her wings over him, though he’s keenly aware of her increased heartbeat. Hera might not know exactly what it is, but he knows she’s feeling it, too… love.

* * *

Silky walks up towards Kagero, who is currently on guard for Red. “Heya!” Silky flashes a bright smile. “So… we won.”

To her surprise though, Kagero nods, “We’ve received reports.”

“Whaaaat?” At least the Ninja doesn’t seem too down right now.

“Word travels quickly.” A smile. “How are you?”

“I’m doin’ pretty good, a little worn out, but overall good! So… here ya go!” Silky pulls out the Beastrune and hands it to Kagero.

“Thank you…” Her voice cracks as she quickly accept it, like it’ll fly off…

Like a birdie! “No no… thanks for letting me borrow it.” Her tail starts wagging… because the thought of having a birdie has crossed her mind.

“Silky? Why did you give me this? You know I can’t use it.”

“Well… it’s Kitsune tradition that the primary mate of the alpha inherits his shifting stone. We believe that the essence lives on and is guaranteed that the mate bears at least one kit.” She replies in possibly the most serious manner ever.

“I… didn’t realize that this was so serious. I’m sorry… I will…”

“Sorry? For what? You didn’t know.” She cuts her off, tail still wagging, oh birdies birdies… “Don’t be sorry for what you don’t know. So… wanna play?”

Kagero lets out a small giggle, “Perhaps later, I need to stand guard for now.”

Um, um… “Well, it’s Kitsune tradition that if you spend a lot of time playing with a relative, then you’ll be sure to have super-fast offspring!”

“Silky?” A blank stare.

“A-yep?”

“That’s a lie and you know it.”

Silky huffs, “Aw… how could you tell?”

“Your lips twitched upward, you weren’t looking directly at me, your tail was wagging far too fast, and your chest was pumping outwards like you were containing a laugh.” Kagero smiles, “I’ll play later, okay?”

“Fine… but let me tell you  **this** … my tail was wagging because I have been thinking about catching some birdies!”

A chuckle, “Fair enough. Do have a good time, Silky.”

“Will do!” Silky waves as she dashes off, oh yes… birdie time!

* * *

Princess Hinoka rises up and stretches from her previous prone position on the ground. Along with Reina and the rest of the strike team, she hasn’t suffered much in terms of injuries… She  **would**  have preferred to be in the battle with the rest, but that wasn’t the plan. Thankfully, most were able to recover very swiftly… including a certain other Wolfskin that is rarely far from her mind. “Heh…” She chuckles, then finishes off her stretches.

Alright, with the war over and Nyx… brutally killed, ugh. Hina shivers as she recalls just how bloody Lupus was by the time she was calmed out of her dragon from, thanks to Lilith. She can  **never**  imagine Lupus turning so violent.

Also thankfully, with the source of the magic dead, all remaining magical holds were ridden. The Ice Tribe twins made it out with… more than their fair share of broken bones and torn muscles. Silas had received the worst of the injuries, gods know he won’t be in proper fighting condition for at least a month… even with magic. Lastly, the two recently appointed retainers of the now dead Xander, Charlotte and Benny, are…

Erm, she’ll just say that vengeance got the better of Keaty, Dadaan, and Vella.

Hina looks around for a moment, now… she might not have keen senses, but she’s been around the beastfolk long enough to know certain signs… without warning, Hina sidesteps and shoves her arm out… clotheslining a speeding Silky. “Heh, got ya.”

“Aw… how did you know?” Yet, it never ceases to amaze Hina just how quickly a Kitsune can recover, as she was already back on her feet… erm, paws by the time she hit the ground. “Heya, Hina!” She shifts back and flashes a… bloody and feathery smile.

Deciding to avoid answering the first question, “You’ve been hunting birdies?”

The perfect conversation changer for her. Silky quickly nods as her tail wags incredibly fast, “A-yep! I figured now was the perfect time to get some delicious treats and while I really did want those birdies I also wanted some peaches but peaches don’t grow around here and that makes me kinda sad but I won’t travel really far for some peaches and…” Her rant abruptly stops.

“What’s wrong?”

“I wanna mate with Keaty tonight.” She declares, “Which means you gotta mate with Keaty tonight.”

Hina smirks, “Because I’m first.”

Silky pulls a strange look, “You’re weird, but I like that. Never thought a human would want to be bred.”

And even more to Silky’s surprise, Hina doesn’t flush from the topic, “I’m not being bred.”

“Then you aren’t doing it right. You stand on all four paws…” She pauses, blinks her eyes, then clears her throat, “On all four…?”

Hina shakes her head, “Heh, I prefer to be on top.”

“It’s not about what the female wants…”

“Tsk… I see you haven’t been taught the concept of consent yet.” Hina shrugs. “It’s a ‘human thing’, Silky.” A half-second passes, “So, you want to mate with Keaty tonight?”

“A-yep!” Her tail starts wagging really quickly again.

Hina chuckles, “Alright, tonight then…”

“After you.”

“After me.” She nods.

* * *

Prince Leo lies awake in his cot, unable to properly get to sleep just yet. While the Magebane toxin has been sucked out of Lady Sakura, she is still unconscious, just like her mother. How could he have missed that? No, not her… Hera. She was one of Nyx’s experiments, so why didn’t it occur to him that she might’ve been a focal point? It’s such an obvious misstep… one that could’ve cost so much more.

He reflexively reaches for the comfort of his Divine Weapon, Brynhildr. Thank the gods it is finally heeding his call again. That part of him he lost has returned, it felt so wrong to be unable to use his own heritage.

He rolls over to the side, then proceeds to get up. No, he’ll sleep later. Right now, he needs to settle other matters on his mind. One is to check up on his love one more time, the second is to pay a quick trip to Windmire for a… particular reason that causes his face to flush.

He truly didn’t expect the Queen of Hoshido herself to join the assault… and even  **less**  that she pulled him aside to talk to him, which ended up in him getting her blessing for a marriage with Sakura. So, that’s what this trip to Windmire will be for… a wedding ring. For Sakura.

He’s going to wed Sakura.

His heartbeat goes up at just the thought… Leo shakes his head and resumes moving. He’s far too restless to sleep. Breathe in and out, focus… he’s got time. First thing is first, he has to check up on Sakura… then he can go on that shopping trip.

* * *

Lilith lets out a content growl as she stretches out her draconic body. A feeling of relief washes over her… Nyx is dead, this human war is over, and now she can take a moment to relax. Hm… maybe she’ll take to Queen Mikoto’s offer for that room soon? Maybe… maybe she will work her next ‘life’ as a milk-maid? A warmth enters her… yes. If one of the next generation from, say, Lupus’s offspring is able to… she’ll gladly breast-feed one of them.

Or maybe she’ll be a royal servant? Oh, there are just so many things she can do in her life that she sometimes finds it hard to choose what she’ll be next. Besides, the life of ‘Lilith’ has proved to her that there are still many things she doesn’t know.

She nods to herself, she will take up Mikoto’s offer and stay in that room in Shirasagi. Alright, the next place of living is chosen, now  **what**  is she going to be? With the Queen herself backing her, there’s a distinct desire to be a milk maid again.

“Jimmu, Zimipe.” Lupus walks up.

“Jimmu, Maqat.” She smoothly responds.

[How are you feeling?]

[A bit magically drained, but otherwise fine.] She turns around and smiles. [I don’t think I’ve ever used that much magic in such a short time.]

Lupus bites her lip, [How strong do you think you are?]

Lilith narrows her eyes, [I’m… sorry?]

[Like, when compared to, say… a Divine Weapon?]

[I don’t think I’m understanding your point.]

[Do you think you can repair the Rajinto?] She finally asks.

Ah, that’s right… King Garon, when he was empowered by Nyx through draconic reagents, held enough strength to slice the Rajinto into two. [I might be able to… it’ll take time, and it won't be the same if I can.]

[That’s fine!] Lupus smiles with a nod.

Still always thinking of others… [How are  **you**  feeling?]

[Pfft, I’m fine. A Lady Elise is an excellent healer.]

[I mean your mind. You let yourself go on a rampage and I know you can still recall what Nyx looked like.]

A pause and her attitude shifts to a more somber one. [She… she needed to pay, but… I couldn’t. Even knowing that she… harvested my eldest brother, even knowing all that she’s done, I couldn’t.]

[And there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s your humanity and you should never let it go.] Lilith advises, [Yes, embrace your dragon. Embrace your human. But don’t forsake one for the other, just live how you always lived. Don’t ever stop being ‘Lupus, the half-dragon and half-human raised by Wolfskin’.]

Click, and her body relaxes, [Thanks, Lilith. I really needed to hear that.]

[You’re welcome.] Another pause, [Would you care to hear another story?]

And now her face lights up, [Of course! Which ‘life’ this time? Oh! Were you ever a... like an advisor?]

Lilith’s mouth twitches upward, [I was part of a magic counsel once, though I quickly grew far too frustrated with the humans’ inability to grasp what I presented.]

[So… you won’t share that?]

[How about the ‘life’ where I was a stablehand… in Hoshido?]

Lupus tilts her head, [Sure, you haven’t talked a lot about living in Hoshido much.]

[True, I have spent more of my time in Nohr, after all…]

* * *

“No, no… not that one.” Vella, not so gently, plucks the too-shiny rock out of Seta’s hands.

“What’s wrong with that one?” Seta tilts her head.

“Too clean… needs something on it.” Dadaan supplies, though he’s mainly there as a ‘guard’.

Vella nods, “Gotta have like… a bug, some teeth, blood…” She trails off.

“Oh…” Seta nods, “Lupus got me this beautiful red feather…” She presents the sweet-smelling feather to Vella… who tenses. “I know, there isn’t a lot of…”

“Sister had one like that.” Vella mutters as she digs through the dirt a bit more intensely.

“Yeah, they matched.”

“I… Seta?”

“Yes, Vella?”

“One of the days that sister returned… I picked through her hair and smelled a feather that smelled like a Kitsune, so…”

“She threw it away.” Dadaan finishes.

“Oh…” Seta frowns as she places the feather back in her hair.

“I’m sorry, I…”

“I guess we just have to find another one.” Seta resolves.

“You… aren’t angry?” She slowly asks.

A hum, “Don’t get me wrong, hearing that really hurts, but…” She smiles that lazy smile that Lupus described about Seta, “We can just get something else that matches.” A pause, “Oh! I know, we can find a group of things that matches  **all**  of us!”

Vella tilts her head, then smiles, “I like that idea.”

“...females.” Dadaan mutters.

“Hey! Do you got a problem?” Vella calls him out. “The happiness of my sister is incredibly important and…” She gets up, “And since you’re wanting to be more than just an alpha for her, you better start thinking about how to make her really happy!”

“I didn’t mean…”

Seta snickers as Vella continues with, “I don’t care! You should feel very lucky that brother is allowing you to be with her! Though it would be for the best if Keaty mated with Lupus, so… treat. Her. Right.” Vella huffs, then goes back down to the ground and resumes searching for treasure.

“Hey, Vella?” Seta suddenly asks, “Would you mind sharing a story when you and Lupus were younger?”

Vella’s ears perk up and her tail starts wagging, “Yes! Let me start with the first time sister and I went treasure hunting!”


	77. Love and Dominance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Draconic Name (In English) [Details]: Ztisepzy (Yseranyx) [Corrin/Lupus, Middle Sister.] Pimtvsetbe (Nelstrasza) [Eldest Brother]. Nalaptijep (Mukanshin) [Middle Brother]. Utvseie (Ostraea) [Eldest Sister]. Qsoeqat (Priapus) [Youngest Brother]. Cimmefuppe (Belladonna) [Youngest Sister]. Zimipe (Yelena) [Lilith].
> 
> Canon Name = Nickname: Corrin = Lupus. Velouria = Vella. Keaton = Keaty. Setsuna = Seta. Hinoka = Hina. Sakura = Saku. Subaki = Superman. Ryoma = Red. Selkie = Silky. Kaden = Ka-da. Orochi = Viper. Takumi = Tako.
> 
> Silky refers to Lupus = Lu-pu. Utvseie = Feisty.
> 
> Qsoeqat = Quacker. Belladonna = Bella or Cimmefuppe = Kim.

 

Silas wasn’t sure what he was expecting when those two Ice Tribe Maids approached him, but whew… whatever  **happened**  left him incredibly sore and somewhere he had no idea on location. The man groans as he tests moving his muscles some… so many cuts and gashes are across him, though it only takes a sniff to immediately recognize the smell of healing tonics and herbs. Surely those Maids didn’t do this to him, right?

“Oh! Look who’s awake!” A bouncy and cheerful voice exclaims, “Whew, you had us so worried, uh… mister Silas?” Wait, he recognizes her…

“Princess… Elise?” He slowly asks.

“You betcha!” She winks.

“If I may ask… where am I?”

She forms an ‘o’ with her mouth, “Uh, big brother asked me to ask whenever one of you woke up, uh… oh yeah!” Huh? ‘One of you’? “What’s the last thing you remember?”

He casts his mind back, “I… remember the Ice Tribe twins approaching me, stating that they had a message from King Garon. Then… I followed them for a bit and… nothing? I’m now suddenly all sliced and…?”

“You were under the control of Nyx.” She frowns. “Though thankfully, we managed to save… most of you.”

“Most?” He shakes his head, “My condolences for those who have fallen…”

“Felicia and Flora, the Ice Tribe twins are recovering, but Benny and Charlotte…”

“Crown Prince Xander’s retainers?!”

“Big… big…” Lady Elise chokes on a sob.

“Who did…”

“Silas sir? Big brother was also under Nyx’s control, but…” She shakes her head, “It’s over, Nyx is gone and we can… move on and make a better Nohr!” Her smile is half-forced, tears still present.

He grimly nods, and decides not to push for more details. “Thank you, Lady Elise… for you and your brother’s forces, for freeing me. I swear I will do everything I can do repay this kindness.”

She looks to the side, possibly off to another cot, “Then… I’d like for you to spend some time with Bella.”

He raises an eyebrow, “I’m sorry… who?” Right as he asked that, however… “Belladonna?”

“Yep, that’s her.” She points to the cot she glanced at, “She’s recovering. Despite not really talking a lot, she really praised you for being a good person. I think she would like if she woke up and you were there.” The smile comes on full now, “Alright, so… if you don’t mind, I’m going to see if Felicia and Flora are close to waking up!” She grabs a vivid pink bag that he  **somehow**  missed seeing, and she hops off to another set of cots.

Silas holds back a grunt as he slowly pushes himself off of the cot… ah yes, incredibly sore muscles, he’s recovering, then. He stretches just a bit, seems like he’s missed quite a bit of training, too. He shakes his head, he can get to that later, right now… there’s an elusive woman he needs to stand aside.

...One who has probably gotten herself into a lot of trouble.

* * *

How long has it been? Since Princess Camilla had been imprisoned… erm, the second time, that is. She wasn’t too sure, but as she had told Kaze, she had no intention of leaving or fighting back until she could talk with her beloved Leo and Elise once more. Day in and out, it’s been pretty much the same, a reasonable amount of food and water, silence, and a lot of inner thoughts. She tried to get some exercise in, for what she could, but it’s clear she won’t be swinging around a battle axe again any time soon.

Click, clack, a pair of footsteps sound out, sandals? Heels? Oh, she thinks she recognizes this one… Orochi? “Hello, Princess Camilla.” Even still the prisoner, the purple hair Diviner bows.

“Hello, dear.” She returns with a smile.

“Would you like some fresh air?” She offers.

Immediately, the side of Camilla that had hardened from the constant threats around Nohr rose up… there’s no way she can just simply let her out for a walk, right? Another click, but this one is for the door, and she opens it. “I…?”

“Come, my liege will be here soon, and I’d like for you to be properly washed and cleaned…” Orochi gestures at Camilla’s hair, “Maybe a quick trim, too?”

Her liege… oh! “Queen Mikoto wants to see me?”

A nod, “The war is over, and the final threat has been recently taken care of. As such, my liege will want to see you…” A short pause, “Besides, you did state that you wanted to see Prince Leo and Princess Elise, correct?”

A smile, “I can…?” She breathes in, “Then what are we waiting for?!” For a moment, it seemed like Camilla had only been resting in a lavish bed, as she suddenly sprung up with so much vigor that was thought to be lost, “I’m ready when you are!”

* * *

How long has it been? Since Lupus last stepped foot in Shirasagi? Months? She isn’t too sure. She originally left the pack to learn the sword, only to find out she’s really a half-dragon, spent some time with her father’s human family he had with her human not-mother, then turned around and left because of the rising potential conflict with the Nohrians being near the mountains.

Yseranyx, the half-dragon who never got to know her real mother and eldest brother, and who has only recently gotten to know her youngest sister, eldest sister, youngest brother, and middle brother. Corrin, the half-human who only got to spend a few months of her infancy with her human family, before being stolen away by Garon. Lupus, the Wolfskin-raised half-human and half-dragon who spent most of her life with the pack. Three names, three homes… one person.

Talk about a case of identity crises.

Yet, she also likes having all of these people she can call ‘family’... her human family, the Wolfskin pack, and the dragon brood. “Dadaan?” She suddenly asks, feeling so much more… somber.

“Yes?”

“Where is our pack going to be?” She looks up to him, her eyes shining just a bit, “It… doesn’t have to be in the mountains, right? It’s just… the mountains are so far away from my human family, and I don’t know where all my dragon-siblings will be… then there’s Silky and Keaty and Hina being somewhere else and… why does everyone have to be so far away?!”

“We can talk it over.” He firmly supplies.

“Poachers aren’t completely gone, Lupus.” Seta states, “It would still be for the best if we settled in mountainous territory.”

“I just don’t want to be days away from all of my family.” Lupus pouts, then she turns around, “Hey, Keaty! Where are you having your pack?!”

Silky gasps, “It’s gonna be at the hamlet, right? The one with all of those peach trees?” Her tail is wagging incredibly fast.

“That one did have a pretty view… a lot of open area for a Pegasus, too.” Hina nods.

“Hey, hey! This is  **my**  choice!” Keaty counters, “...but that area would be nice for a pack.” He looks away, his tail wagging. “So, yeah… my pack will be there, but only because it’s my choice.”

“Uh-huh, sure.” Hina rolls her eyes, “Totally not influenced by Silky or me.”

Lupus shrugs, at least she got her answer. Alright, so… Keaty will have his pack in the mountains, slightly over on Hoshido’s side and in that hamlet. “Can we be somewhere like… in the middle?” Lupus suggests.

“...If you can find a spot like that.” Dadaan nods.

“Yes! Thank you!” She quickly wraps her arms around him, then takes a moment to breathe in his scent… then rubs that patch of purple fur on his chest. “Mmm… ah!” Another set of arms and a face buries into Lupus’s backside.

“...sister.” Vella, of course.

“Group hug?!” Silky plants herself onto Lupus’s left side.

“Room for one more?” Seta moves onto Lupus’s right side.

“Heh… you’re really in the middle now.” Dadaan chuckles, sending a nice warmth through Lupus.

“And I’m completely fine with that.” She hums, and she truly was, until… “Vella! Th-that tickles!” She giggles, but is unable to get away from her sister’s nose.

Sniff, sniff, “I know.” Lupus can literally feel the smile forming on her face.

“I wanna sniff, too!” Much to Lupus’s ‘ire’, Silky shoves her nose into her side, causing another fit of giggles to start up.

“St-stop! Th-that’s…”

“Mmm, the scent of my love…” Seta hums as  **she**  starts sniffing.

“I give… I g-give!” Lupus tries to speak. “D-Dadaan! Help!” She squeaks out.

And with a show of strength, Dadaan hefts Lupus up, “Yes?” He has her cradled like a child, one arm under and around her back and side, with the other arm supporting her legs… and that hand on her rear.

“Mmm…” She slightly rolls to the side and curls up some more, opting to cuddle closer to his chest, right where that purple patch of fur is.

“...hey, Lupus?” His voice rumbles out.

“Uh-huh?” She looks up to him, and in the next second?

“Oh my…” Seta says as Dadaan moves in for a kiss.

Dadaan manages to holds Lupus up even higher as the two continue, neither caring that they aren’t alone. Lupus reaches up and around Dadaan’s back, simply wanting more to hold and touch. One thing that Lupus can note is that his taste is still quite salty… despite being away from their mountainous home for so long. “Wow…” Lupus just relaxes into his grip after the kiss finished. “That was amazing…”

“I’m glad to see you so happy, sister.” Vella smiles.

“That was a kiss right that looked really fun I wonder if I can get Keaty to do one of those with me and ooo ooo I remember when you told me my mouth tasted sweet and…”

“Lupus? How do you know that Silky’s mouth tastes sweet?” Seta asks.

“Well…” Lupus starts, “Back in the castle, I was spending some time with Silky and while we were waiting for some food…”

“She shoved her hand in my mouth and tasted my saliva!” Silky smiles with a fast tail wag. “Oh! After you made a hole in a chair for my tail.”

“So, that’s where that hole came from…” Seta trails off.

“That’s also where I got that pretty red feather.” Lupus nods… the one that Vella threw away.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Lupus.” Seta smiles. “Just the thought that you wanted to do something like that is more than enough…”

“That, and we’re going to find some other things that match.” Vella nods.

“You, me, Seta, Vella, Dadaan, Keaty, Hina… everyone!” Silky flashes her fangs.

“I like the sound of that.” Lupus smiles. “But… what are we going to get that can match so many different people?”

* * *

Nalaptijep wasn’t too sure on where to look when heading out to find eldest sister, youngest brother, and that ‘Hera’. However, that problem was solved almost the second he stepped onto high ground, now as for how? Well… even from this distance, he saw a massive explosion. Magic, a pulse strong enough that he could easily feel the source. Dark Magic, with a bit of Wild Magic. Hera is apparently a magic-based dragon who has been pumped with Dark Magic. So, unless there is another Nyx out there…

He shrugs and runs towards the source.

Get to his brother and sister, direct them towards middle sister and then… what? He hasn’t thought about that much. Sure, he’d say he would just leave, but…

There’s that ache in his chest, the human side of him. Dragon or human? Dragon and human? His need to eat or a need for family? Perhaps ‘karma’ will end up taking him down, just like eldest brother? He knows he isn’t unkillable, one misstep and he could very well end up dying, harvested even. He forms his maw, which in seeing the clear liquid alone is enough to set off his hunger again. What  **is**  more important?

He is Nalaptijep, half-dragon raised with the brood and his draconic mother.

He shakes his head. He’ll do what he does, he isn’t going to ignore the hunger. He’ll live with the consequences.

* * *

Utvseie blinks her eyes, groaning at the light that is far too bright. “Totvis!” Hm? Oh… Qsoeqat.

Oh… and  **that**  dragon. [Brother.] She disregards acknowledging ‘Hera’. [How are you?]

[Alive.] A tinge of pure black remains in his eyes, he’s apparently missing part of his ‘soul’... which Hera has.

She glances at Hera, [Can we talk alone for a bit?]

[Need to move.] Hera huffs.

[We should.] He nods. [Need to get back to my packs.]

[And our sister?] She stops for a moment and breathes.

[Sister… has it ever occurred to you that we brothers aren’t as… human as you?] His tone is level and calm. [We’ve always been closer to our dragon side.]

[...at times, yes.] She admits, [But, that doesn’t mean you should disregard your human side.]

[Sister? I do love and care for all of us, but I don’t want to be a ‘family’. I want to go back to my packs, I want to breed with Hera and the other Wolfskin. The Wolfskin packs also value my leadership…]

[Yes, because you were able to band together those packs and stop several platoons from crossing. I know… you are a very talented and natural leader. There probably isn’t a better alpha.] And the next thing that happens? Well, it was something she certainly would never expect…

Qsoeqat gave in to his human side and he gave her a  **hug** . “Be safe, alright?” He even goes so far to speak in the human tongue. “And… there will always be a spot open for any of the brood, if you feel a need to visit.” The intensity from the emotion alone was almost enough to bring her to tears and… “Go ahead, cry. You’ve been holding a heavy burden on yourself… being the mother figure for a trio of dragon-minded brothers.”

And yep, there it is… Utvseie let the walls fall down and she starts crying onto his body. A woman that was forced into the role of a mother far too early, who tried to force three brothers to ‘behave’ while also assuring the nearly silent sister was taken care of. “I’ll… be sure to visit.” She whispers, “Even if you’re going around and mating with all the females.”

He chuckles, before ending the hug all too soon… at least he understands to a point. [Mate? Let’s go.] Barely a few tears has even crossed his own face.

She smiles, she might not like Hera, but… Utvseie can recognize that the pure-blooded dragon suffered far too much. Not even two centuries old and she was captured by Nyx and held for experiments for nearly two decades… hopefully, no. She  **knows**  Qsoeqat can keep her under control. Dark Magic and all…

She did mean it, after all. She doubts there is a better alpha than him. Now then! Time to return to Cimmefuppe and Ztisepzy.

* * *

Ryoma tilts his head as Lilith offers one of the strangest propositions he has ever heard… granted, it is one he wants to believe will work… “Are you certain, ma’am?” He asks… again. It was hard enough to believe that there could be enough strength to break a Divine Weapon… it’s harder to believe that there is enough power to reforge it. Besides, breaking a wall is far easier than repairing it.

“It will be taxing on me, but yes… I believe I can do this.” She nods, currently in her dragon form, which is far…  **far**  smaller than Lupus’s.

“How long do you think it will take?”

“I’ll have to pool enough magic beforehand, but once that’s done? A few hours. Though, I’ll be weakened afterwards… I’m  **only**  three-thousand years old.”

He couldn’t stop a scoff from coming out, “‘Only’.”

“Well, yes… three-thousand is still quite young.” She nods, more to herself, “So… allow me a few weeks, and I will repair the Rajinto.”

Ryoma bows, “Thank you, Lilith.”

And now she seems confused, “I haven’t done anything yet…” A quick glow and she’s back to her Maid form.

“For simply offering. Even if you are unable to, I’m honored you would take the time to try.”

She blinks her eyes, “Oh, okay… well. You’re welcome?”

Perhaps a shift in conversation? Something less… ‘human’? “So… you lived in Hoshido before?”

She tilts her head, then nods, “I had at a few points… would you like to hear about one of those ‘lives’?”

“Sure.”

* * *

Keaton wasn’t exactly too keen on stopping and camping ‘out here’... and by ‘here’, he refers to not being in the mountains. Despite traveling with an army, he can’t help but feel insecurity. Generations of knowing that living on a mountain is the only real safe place is still sticking to him. Even with numbers and strength with them, he still feels… off.

And why does he have to go to Shirasagi too? He frankly just wants to take Hina and Silky to his soon to be den and be with them, but nope. He just has to travel back to the castle. “Alpha?” Dadaan approaches him.

“Not your alpha anymore.” He flatly replies.

“...right.” He nods. “Keaton.”

“Yes?”

“Uh, be safe?”

“Right, sure.” He shrugs. “Don’t start skipping on your training.”

Dadaan chuckles, “Next time we can meet, I’ll be Wolfsegger, too.”

“You aren’t far.”

“Exactly.” A pause between the two… ‘small talk’ was never really part of Wolfskin culture to begin with.

“Hey! Keaton, right?” Hmph, human, pink armor… he recognizes her, but that’s about… “Name’s Effie. I’m one of Princess Elise’s retainers.”

“And?”

“You’re tough.”

“I am.”

“Wanna duel later? I’m talking no bars hold.”

And now he’s confused, “Why would we hold bars during a duel?”

“Ugh no… I mean don’t restrain yourself, we go all out.”

“Oh…” Keaton nods, “Alright. Fine with me. But don’t start complaining when you go down in…”

“I can punch a boulder apart with my fist.” She cuts him off, “I lift tree trunks as my weights. I do everything everyday in a full set of platemail armor with at least a literal ton of rocks inside of my armor… I think I can take you on.”

Keaton smirks, “Sounds good to me.” His tail is wagging. “Better not disappoint, Effie.”

“Oh no…  **you**  better not disappoint me, Keaton.” She counters. “I’ve been waiting a long time to get a chance for a duel, and it’s only recently that my liege allowed me some time to ask.”

Keaton shrugs, “Alright, I’ll be ready.”

“You best be.” Quite firm, isn’t she? She extends an arm, ah… a handshake. He extends his in kind… and was surprised when she tightens her grip.

He narrows his eyes and tightens his grip, matching hers… she grips tighter. “Hmph.”

“Is that all you got?” Tighter meets tighter, her armor starts to cave in, but she doesn’t relent. In fact, and while he won’t admit this out loud, her grip is starting to  **hurt** !

“Alright, I’m interested.” The two release their grips, his hand really hurts… she’s bleeding a bit, but doesn’t seem to be in pain.

Oh yes, this will be a far better duel than what Red offered… he just knows it.


End file.
